


Gold Forever

by MidnightRaven



Series: Of Swords and Shields [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Blood, Fantasy, Friendship, M/M, Magic, Mentions of Death, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Partnership, Pining, Reincarnation, Slow Burn, Sort Of, Violence, slow build at least
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-02-13 01:28:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12972717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightRaven/pseuds/MidnightRaven
Summary: Being a Demon isn't what Kei had expected but he thinks he's settled into a decent routine- sleep, work, maybe read a book if he feels like it, and repeat.Then he gets called back into the field and a messy haired Angel makes him feel things he hasn't in years.





	1. New Moon

**Author's Note:**

> It's finally out!!! A huge thanks to Rosa (@animediac) and 0rchidd (@0rchidd) for all your support! I wouldn't have made it as far as I did without you two.

The pager gives a short, muted beep but it’s more than enough to get Kei up, instantly awake and ready. It’s automatic as he reaches for the small pager beside him; it’s the very first thing he does everyday.

‘ _Kei, report to Oikawa_ ’ is the text on the screen.

He’s dressed and out the door in a few seconds; the routine is familiar and comfortable. As he steps out of the apartment and onto the streets of Tokyo, it’s the same as yesterday; the traffic noises and the chatter and the crowds of people.

People walk around him as he crosses the street and into the five-story building just across from his apartment. The building is plain, a simple office building with no signs or logos identifying it on the outside. The receptionist barely looks at him as he enters, continuing to type on the computer in front of them.

 _ **Sentry** _ is proudly painted on the wall behind the receptionist’s counter.

The elevator is empty as he gets in, with only the cheery music being played filling the silence. There’s a soft flicker of static in the back of his mind as he steps out and onto the fifth floor. He doesn’t flinch at the feeling, continuing down the hall and through a large rec room- though it was much more like a large living room in the building.

Each person he passes is another flicker of static and he pays them no mind. None of them look like they would be in a office building, all dressed in casual clothes and even some in tattered outfits. His own outfit is also plain, just simple casual clothes.

“Hey, Kei! I haven’t seen you here for a while,” someone shouts, but he merely acknowledges them with a short nod. Kei makes his way through the rec room and into a hallway, stopping in front of one of the doors.

‘ _Oikawa Tooru_ ’ is engraved in a plaque to the side.

He’s just reaching for the doorknob when he freezes, registering the flicker of static that is unfamiliar to him. In the room, he can sense two Angels; one of which he doesn’t know. He’s never been called to Oikawa’s office with someone else- let alone an Angel.

His chest feels hollow and it’s only the fact that he knows that they’ve also sensed him there that stops him from leaving.

It takes him a short moment before he finally turns the doorknob and steps in.

* * *

Demons and Angels are typically partnered together, a Sword and Shield unit.

Kei knows this.

For nineteen years, he has refused a partner. For nineteen years, he knew, _he knew_ , that the day would come, that he would be finally assigned a partner- with or without his agreement.

And yet, as he closes the door softly behind him and meets Oikawa’s apologetic eyes, he can’t help the tenseness of his shoulders and the way his heart slams against his chest. The moment he meets the unknown Angel’s eyes, his heart stops.

“Kei,” Oikawa greets, thankfully casually- as if he didn’t know how distressed he is. “Please, sit.”

The first step is impossibly hard, but he does it, moving away from the door- away from his only escape- and takes a seat. He’s only a few inches away from the other Angel, the person he doesn’t know- doesn’t even want to know. He stares straight at Oikawa, hyper aware of the sharp amber eyes he can see watching him from the corner of his eye.

“Kei, you’re being recalled to active duty. This is Tetsurou, one of our senior Angels.” Oikawa tips his head towards the Angel beside him.

Kei finally looks over, meeting bright amber eyes. Tetsurou is just the slightest bit shorter than him with crazy hair and eyes that were all too sharp and cutting. Tetsurou gives him a friendly grin and he looks away.

“Tetsurou, this is Kei. He was part of one of our best Strike Teams in the past.” Oikawa flips through a binder on his desk and looks at both of them. “I didn’t have a hand in this decision, but Sentry needs another Strike Team and fast. You’ve both been picked because of your former experiences.”

Oikawa shuts the binder and levels the two of them with a serious look. “I don’t disapprove of this team- it has potential. But I do know that the two of you haven’t worked with a partner for quite a few years now.”

Tetsurou smirks and confidently states, “I’m sure that won’t be a problem. I’m not a newbie, y’know.”

 _Neither am I_ , Kei wants to snap, but he doesn’t; in all honesty, he doesn’t want this pairing to work out. There’s a voice in the back of his head- _be passive, be uncooperative_. As if he had heard them, Oikawa gives him a look.

“Get along you two. You both need to finish your current cases before I’ll be assigning your first assignment as a team.” Oikawa picks out two files from the stack on his desk and places them in front of them. “Here are your files, get to know each other and all that. I’ll give you both a moment.”

He stands, giving Kei’s shoulder a firm squeeze as he passes. The sound of the door closing lingers in the office, loud in the enclosed room.

Kei stares down at the files, he knew one was his, the other was Tetsurou’s- his new _partner_. The mere thought is a tight grip on his heart and the presence of Angel beside him grated. Tetsurou makes a small noise and, without thinking, Kei looks at him.

He meets Tetsurou’s curious eyes, instantly noticing the way his shoulders are relaxed, not hunched like his own, or how he seemed casual about this new situation. He held the stare, the static that is Tetsurou buzzing all too vividly in the back of his head, and just before he turns away, Tetsurou starts.

“Hey.”

Tetsurou fully turns in his chair, facing Kei directly and gives a friendly smile. It looks more like a smirk in Kei’s mind. “I’m Tetsurou, I don’t have any experience as a Strike Team but I’m a former field agent. I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“Kei...former Strike Team.” Kei pauses before echoing, “I’m looking forward to working with you too.”

Tetsurou’s friendly smile doesn’t drop as he studies him and Kei laces his fingers together in his lap, face blank and breathing measured. As if Kei’s flat tone didn’t deter him- Kei has a bad feeling it really didn’t- Tetsurou continues talking.

“I specialize in offensive white magic, my healing is sloppy and so are my blessings.” Tetsurou stares at him, prompting him to do the same. Kei fiddles with his fingers before giving a small shrug and glancing away.

“I’m decent with defensive and offensive black magic.”

It goes silent again, and this time, Tetsurou doesn’t attempt to break it.

Kei doesn’t look back at Tetsurou and hunches down a bit more, eyes glued onto the file in front of him. It’s Tetsurou’s file. Just like how his own should be in front of the other.

These files made the situation that much more real; they were personal files, with their noted skills and abilities. They were only exchanged when Strike Teams are created- exchanged between partners in an actual team. He doesn’t want to take it.

The door opens slowly and Oikawa pokes his head in before stepping in. He raises a brow at them, immediately noticing the awkward, tense air in the office and exhales.

“I’ll call you two back once you’re both finished with your current cases.” Oikawa clasps them both on the shoulder and takes a seat, pointing them towards the door. “But I do need my office now, so scram.”

Tetsurou gives Oikawa a nod, picks up the file in front of him and offers Kei another grin. “I’ll see you around, partner.”

Kei is up and out of his seat the moment he’s out of the room, practically bolting.

“Kei,” Oikawa calls out. It’s soft, and a bit reproving. It has him stopping in his tracks.

He turns to see Tetsurou’s file pushed in his direction. A harsh refusal is already on his tongue but Oikawa shakes his head before he could say anything.

“I really had no control over this.”

Kei doesn’t reply- feels like he couldn’t even if he had anything to say. He feels numb as he takes the file.

It’s just paper but it’s heavy in his hands; another weight just waiting to crush him.

* * *

The file acquires a place on his desk, untouched and collecting dust.

Though it is sunny outside, the curtains filter out the light until his room is only dimly lit and muted, full of hazy shadows and dull colour. It’s how he feels like at the moment; muted.

He drops his pager onto the side table- it clatters noisily but he doesn’t pay it any mind- and he curls up in his bed. There will be cases that he needs to finish and reports to write and he thinks of only those. Of the damage reports and the travel plans, of planning his schedule for tomorrow.

It’s silent and when he opens his eyes again, the room is dark and his glasses are painfully pressed against the ridge of his nose. It’s too still and silent. There is a sliver of moonlight creeping in through the window.

He rolls over, takes off his glasses and closes his eyes again.

* * *

The report in Kei’s hand is complete, but as he steps into the rec room at Sentry, he doesn’t feel accomplished or even relieved that another case is finished.

It feels like every step he takes, is another step towards disaster.

One case down and just that much closer to becoming officially partnered with Tetsurou.

As if even thinking his name is a curse, his usual quick trip to Oikawa’s office is interrupted. Tetsurou calls out his name and quickly catches up to him, laying a hand on Kei’s tense back and herding him away from his destination.

Tetsurou grins at him as he brings them over to one of the tables by the walls. “Good morning.”

“Morning…” Kei stands there as Tetsurou takes a seat and motions towards the spot across from him. Reluctantly, Kei sits down, placing his report on the table with a sigh.

“So, how are you?” Tetsurou asks, watching him with his arms crossed on the table- as if he hadn’t manhandled Kei across the rec room. Kei gives him a long stare before closing his eyes, looking very much like he was fending off a headache.

“Fine. If that was all…” Kei curtly answers, making to stand up. A hand slams down on his report, preventing him from leaving, but Tetsurou quickly jerks his hand back before Kei could do anything more than glare.

“Wait- I have some questions,” Tetsurou hurriedly blurts out. “I know you don’t seem eager to be partnered up with me, but could we maybe chat for a moment? That’s all.”

For a good moment, Kei wants to take his report and leave, to continue his day as if it hadn’t been interrupted. But, as he looks at Tetsurou’s sheepish expression, he decides against it- desperately hoping that it wouldn’t be a mistake.

Tetsurou’s face brightens up as he slowly takes a seat again and reaches over to tap at the report.

“You said you were decent all around at black magic.” Tetsurou glances at him. “But your file said you’re much more than just decent. You ranked pretty high in training.”

Kei shrugs. “It doesn’t really matter much.”

“I think it matters,” Tetsurou objects. “And I’d like to know more about each other. Personally, I was horrible in training; I barely passed my qualifications when I first started.”

Tetsurou stares at him before tapping at the report again; Kei feels exposed at the observant gleam in those amber eyes, taking in and assessing every movement. “But that would have been in my report, so you already know that.”

Kei makes a noise, neither confirming or denying. He knows nothing of the Angel sitting in front of him, his file is still sitting on his desk, unopened and untouched- barely even glanced at. The entire situation feels like a twist in his gut, but if _Oikawa_ had no power over this, there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

Above all, if Sentry truly needed another Strike Team, what better than a former member and a skilled field agent?

Kei doesn’t have any confidence in this team- his team- but the least he can do is go along with it. It’s not like he has any other choice honestly speaking.

“We’ll be taking official missions soon, excited to be out and about again?” Tetsurou smirks, prodding, “I’ve heard you’ve only been doing investigations- must be boring.”

It doesn’t mean he needs to get friendly with his teammate though.

“They’re not as boring as this,” Kei replies flatly. “I still have reports to hand in.”

Tetsurou seems to perk up, surveying him with new eyes and a much more interested glint in them. “You can be a bit snarky, can’t you? And really? You’d prefer reports and boring recon to having a chat with me?”

“Yes.”

“Wounded.” Tetsurou chuckles, tilting his head. “We’re partners now, shouldn’t you be nice to me?”

Kei abruptly stands. He grabs his report and repeats, “I have reports to hand in.”

He doesn’t give Tetsurou anytime to react, barely noticing the confused and alarmed look on the other’s face, and briskly walks out of the rec room and towards the offices.

Handing in his report is quick- simply sliding the file into the inbox outside Oikawa’s office. He barely thinks as he does it, going through the motions even with his mind strangely numb and buzzing with white static.

Kei avoids the rec room on his way out, deliberately taking the rarely used staircase- it’s only there because humans had built the building; Angels and Demons usually had much better ways of getting around than stairs.

His footsteps echo through the stairwell as he makes his way down, it’s the only sound in the otherwise quiet space.

And maybe it’s because he’s never taken this way before, but the building seems so very empty.

* * *

That wasn’t the last he saw of Tetsurou.

Any report he hands in is met with a persistent greeting and an attempt to start a chat; it’s as if Tetsurou didn’t actually have any cases of his own to complete and used that time to bother him.

His own cases are nearly completed- simple investigations and research- but Kei takes his time with his last case. Once it was completed, he would no longer be doing any solo work. Teams weren’t separated unless it was absolutely necessary; he is stuck with Tetsurou. And Tetsurou knew this, if the way he sought out Kei is any indicator.

Kei dreads the day the other finds out exactly where he lives.

At the moment though, he's safe. Tetsurou lived in the second building that Sentry owned, on the opposite side of his- it was something he had noticed when he had managed to shake the other off one day.

“Hey, Kei!”

He resists the urge to sigh but his pace didn’t even falter as he enters Sentry. The doors had barely closed behind him before they are flung open again and Tetsurou bounds in, happy and eager.

“I heard from a little bird that you’re almost finished with your cases,” Tetsurou announces as he enters the elevator with him. Kei stabs the button for the fifth floor.

Tetsurou, seemingly oblivious to his bad mood, continues, “I’ve just finished mine yesterday-”

Kei narrows his eyes. “Since when? You’ve been here bothering me for the past week.”

“That’s a secret.” Tetsurou attempts to wink but he only succeeds in scrunching up his face. Kei can’t help the small, amused exhale he gives just as the elevator gives a ‘ding’ and the doors open.

“Very mysterious, like there isn’t only one reason why they’d be a secret,” Kei drawls as they step into the rec room, rolling his eyes. Tetsurou huffs at him, though the small curl of his lips show his amusement.

“Actually there’s more than the one you’re thinking of.”

Kei makes his way towards Oikawa’s office. “That’s nice to know.”

“Aren’t you curious about what it is?” Tetsurou questions, curiously peering at him. Kei arches an eyebrow at him, dropping his report into the inbox and snorts.

“And get punished for knowing things I shouldn’t? I’ll pass, thanks.”

Tetsurou follows him on his way out, stopping once they left Sentry and they go their separate ways.

* * *

Two days later, Kei gets the notification he has been dreading ever since he has met Tetsurou.

‘ _Kei, report to Oikawa_ ’ is the text on the screen.

This time, however, his hand is unsteady as he dismisses the message. His throat is tight and the churning feeling in his gut that he’d been able to push back for the past week, comes back with full force.

He sits on his bed for a while- enough that Tetsurou has probably already made it to Oikawa’s office. The two are waiting for him; his _partner_ was waiting for him. There is no doubt in his mind that an assignment would be waiting for them, the few days of rest after completing his cases was a big hint towards that.

Taking the first few steps is like wading through water, and as he finally steps into Sentry, butterflies swarm in his stomach. The roaring of the cars behind him is loud, even when it’s muffled when he closes the door behind him. He steps into the elevator and stands there. The door slowly closes.

His pager beeps and he doesn’t glance at it, but it prompts him to hit the button for the fifth floor- pressing it as if it would grow teeth and bite. The ride up is the longest one he’s ever had and each time the number goes up, his heart jumps.

And all too soon, he’s on the fifth floor and the doors slide open.

Tetsurou is there, hovering outside the elevator, and he pushes himself off his heels to join Kei as he steps out of the elevator. Kei can’t help the rush of relief when Tetsurou just casually greets him with a smile. There’s a small amount of space carefully placed between them and Kei breathes easier.

The door to Oikawa’s office is open when they reach it.

They enter the room and Oikawa gestures them towards the chairs.

“I know neither of you have done any combat missions in awhile- let alone with a new partner,” Oikawa says as they sit down. “So I won’t be assigning you to any strikes anytime soon, not that I could, really- and I doubt two either of you would enjoy a stationed assignment, so…”

Oikawa’s smile is full of teeth and glee as he tells them, “You two will be on Retrieval and Sweeping.”

“You’re putting us on beginner duties?!” Tetsurou squawks, nearly leaning out of his seat to stare Oikawa in the eye. Silently, Kei agrees.

“Just for now,” Oikawa reassures, though the way his shoulders twitch gives away his amusement. “You’re a new team, you gotta work on that teamwork before I give you any serious assignments.”

“I’m sure we would be fine,” Tetsurou attempts, giving Kei a quick glance. “We’re experienced.”

“It’s just standard procedure, I’m afraid.” Oikawa is still smirking at them as he reaches into his drawer. “Now, take these and leave- and give me your old pagers.”

Kei slowly hands over his pager, the plastic is scratched and worn from use, and accepts the new one passed to him; it’s brand new, the black plastic is sleek and flawless and it’s decorated.

“As of now, you two are officially Shield and Sword,” Oikawa solemnly states, his smirk gone as he acknowledges them both with a tilt of his head. “Congratulations.”

Tetsurou is staring at his new pager- it’s black as always, but the white shield engraved at the back of it is a stark difference. Kei looks down at his own; it looks almost the same as his old one.

He turns the pager over and runs his fingers over the white engraving in the plastic. It’s a sword- the counterpart to Tetsurou’s shield.

Traditionally, Demons are the Swords of the unit.

Kei feels more like a dull, rusted blade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next two chapters will be posted later on today.  
> Find me on [Tumblr (cawnvictofmurder)](http://cawnvictofmurder.tumblr.com/)  
> Let me know if you liked it and thank you for reading!


	2. Sunrise

It doesn’t take long for them to receive their first assignment; it comes in the form of ‘ _US10-SWEEP_ ’ and a set of coordinates sent to their pagers.

Unit S10 is his new identifier- a letter to show the type of team and a number for all the various teams out there.

Kei has not seen the letter ‘S’ attached to anything he’s been assigned to for years. There’s a small pang in his heart when he sees it- an echo of something hollow and lost but as quickly as it comes, it fades.

There isn’t anything he needs to grab before he leaves- anything he would ever need is within him- and he shuts the door behind him. It might have been a long time since he’s done a sweep, but the knowledge of how is ingrained in his head and he heads towards Sentry. Once he’s in the elevator, he doesn’t go to the fifth floor but presses the ‘B1’ button instead.

There’s a groan of shifting gears before the elevator rattles and descends. It doesn’t take long before he’s underground but once it stops, the doors don’t open. Kei touches the immobile doors and sparks just the slightest bit of his magic against it.

The doors creak open at that- a security measure built into the elevator- and reveal a large underground parking lot.

Majority of the parking spaces are filled; most of them common cars anyone would see on the streets, occasionally a sports car or two. Some of them are occupied by motorcycles or large buses and limos. There is even a couple of police cruisers and ambulances, the decals on the vehicles declaring them to be from Tokyo.

Kei has a feeling that there is even a rickshaw of some type in here- though he hasn’t been able to find it just yet.

The lot is empty of all other people except for him and one other and it helps Kei find his...teammate with ease. Tetsurou is leaning against a plain white car and swinging the keys around a finger. _A good pick. It’s ordinary and forgettable_ , Kei absently notes.

“You ready?” Tetsurou is excited and it shows as he plays with the car keys, the jangling metal almost echoing in the parking lot. “I can drive.”

Kei hums, stepping around the car to get to the passenger’s side. Tetsurou is already seated and turning the keys in the ignition when he sits down, the car rumbling into motion. Kei automatically reaches for the screen on the dash before he stops himself.

Tetsurou shoots him a quick look as he backs the car out of the parking space. “Oh, yeah, it would be helpful if you did that, thank you. No free hands, see?”

Kei snorts when Tetsurou wiggles his fingers from where he is gripping the steering wheel but reaches forward again. The screen on the dash between them has multiple icons and he presses the one with the map.

He enters the coordinates they were given and a GPS screen shows up, a blue line directing them to their destination, and they’re off.

* * *

Their destination is a rural area, away from large towns and composed of sparse buildings and small pockets of forests. They pull up in front of what had once looked like a construction site for a new house.

At the moment it looks more like a site of destruction.

The partially built house is collapsing in on itself, the wooden structure burnt and flaking into charcoal. It’s still smothering and small lines of smoke drifts into the sky. The ground had not gone unscathed, the dirt layered with black ash and deep grooves cut across it- looking as if a single wheel had torn through the ground.

As he gets out of the car, Kei has a newfound appreciation for wards- one of which they had passed a few feet back. The debris and the heavy smell of smoke would have attracted too much questions and attention.

“I’m sort of surprised,” Tetsurou says, nudging a piece of smothering wood away with his foot. “This is a lot of damage but it’s well contained in this area. Newer team or smarter creature?”

There's a slight noise and Kei looks up at the approaching pair for a moment before he replies, “New team.”

Despite his absence, he still remembers the teams that were in active duty with him and this pair is one he’s never seen before. The Angel, a short guy with a tuff of blond in his black hair, bounds up to them with a grin.

“Hey, you’re the sweepers? I’m Yuu! That’s my partner, Asahi!” Yuu hitches a thumb over his shoulder, pointing to the taller Demon catching up to him. Asahi’s brown hair is gathered in a bun but, as he gets closer, they can see that a few strands are loose and singed at the ends.

Tetsurou returns the grin, gesturing at himself and Kei. “Tetsurou, and that’s Kei.”

“Sorry about all the damage,” Asahi murmurs, scratching his cheek. Behind him the plow of a heat warped bulldozer breaks off and hits the ground with a loud boom. He flinches, hunching his shoulders as if he had been struck. “We were- erm. Caught off guard...and….”

“It’s okay!” Yuu vigorously smacks him on the back. “We managed! Next time, I’ll make sure nothing gets past me- and you!”

Asahi shrinks back at the finger jabbed viciously in his face.

“You don’t need to hold back! Go all out!”

Asahi quirks a small smile and nods firmly. “Right.”

“Good!” Yuu turns back to them after that and crosses his arms, mimicking a serious posture. He doesn’t quite pull it off, the gleam of his eyes and the unrestrained grin aren’t well hidden.

“We dispatched a Wanyuudou- it was pretty creepy looking, the head in the wheel. It was also on fire” -Kei barely holds back a snort, that information is obvious from their burnt surroundings- “and it was pretty angry when we came. No casualties, the humans were off site when it came by.”

Yuu waves a hand at the construction site. “We don’t think anything will come by, but keep an eye out!”

Kei nods, glancing around them. “Noted.”

He watches as Yuu and Asahi leave; the two are walking step for step, despite their height differences, and Yuu is chattering and nudging Asahi along. He’s turning back to survey the area when the static feeling that is them disappears from his senses, leaving him alone with Tetsurou.

It’s quiet and the distant sounds of rustling leaves fill the air. The air is still humid, even though it had taken a bit of time for them to arrive, and a thin layer of smoke still lingers. Kei looks at Tetsurou, who is silently examining the burnt building, before he quickly scans the area with his eyes.

He then closes his eyes and _feels_ , reaching out with his magic.

Tetsurou’s white static is buzzing a few paces to his right, similar to a bee hovering too close to his ear, and the soft thrum of a portal is slowly dissipating behind him; there are no off-white sparks of human life near them. He feels the presence of the grass, the dirt, the machinery and the building; more faint impressions in his mind than an actual feeling. Normally, the air would have been clear- in an area like this, it would have been untouched by any major magic. Now, however, the residue of the Wanyuudou still remains and its magic is a powdery and sticky feeling clogging the air.

It tastes like ashes in his mouth.

There is a gentle wave of magic- a barely there ripple- and Kei opens his eyes to note where everything is outside of his head. Tetsurou is merely watching him and he turns, grumbling, “Well?”

“I thought you said you haven’t done this for a while,” Tetsurou comments, looking away and taking in the damage once again. Kei scoffs and walks away.

“Not long enough to forget to check the surroundings.” Kei steps over a twisted metal beam and heads towards a pile of large pipes, mostly untouched and only slightly scorched by fire. “It’s not like you haven’t done that already.”

“Heh.”

“That also means you noticed the salamanders under the pipes, right,” Kei continues with a slight smirk. Tetsurou, who had been in the process of inspecting the damage on one of the machines, does a double take.

“Wait- what?”

A snicker involuntarily comes out and Kei chances a quick glance back to see him scrunching his face and narrowing his eyes at the pipes. “We wouldn’t want you to mess up your blessing now do we.”

In truth, Kei doesn’t blame him for not noticing; fire salamanders feel very similar to fire and this place has been practically bathed in it. It still felt nice to one up Tetsurou though.

He crouches by the pipes and slowly reaches in, as unthreatening as he can. The air inside the pipes is cooler than it is outside, but he knows he’s close to the salamanders when he reaches a pocket of heat. It takes a moment but when he pulls back, two salamanders are wrapped around his hand and wrist; their black and orange skin bright against his skin and their heat is a comfortable warmth.

While they are pretty harmless, the area would need to be blessed before they leave and anything magical in the area would have to be accounted for- it was much easier to just remove them whenever possible.

“They’re not burning you?” Tetsurou calls from where he is standing by the warped bulldozer, watching him with concern.

Kei simply raises his hand, showing off the salamanders, before walking away. He heads away from all the destruction, though he’s still within the wards when he leans down to gently let the salamanders go.

Tetsurou is running a hand over the warped metal when he gets back. As the scorched areas flake off and metal bends back into place, there’s a slight rustle of wings- of feathers brushing in his head- and Kei can’t help but run his eyes over Tetsurou’s back.

He doesn’t see anything other than his shirt and he pulls his eyes away, busying himself with the debris.

The larger pieces of wood and various other material- drywall, plastic, tools- that Kei is able to find and salvage are piled in front of the burnt house. Any other material that is simply too damaged to use is destroyed by a burst of magic before he starts on the torn ground.

_It’s an easy enough fix_ , he thinks and digs his fingers into the earth. Ash and dust cling to his fingers, still warm, and this close to the ground, the smell of ash and fire is thick in his throat.

Kei ignores the feeling as best as he could and pushes his magic into it; a rush of power, a feeling of warm silk and thrumming electric, flows through his chest and down his spine but he tamps it down and directs it into the ground. It’s not difficult to mimic the properties of the dirt and shift it and soon one of the grooves is gone, filled with fresh dirt. He repeats the progress with all the grooves and furrows in the ground until all the tracks and charcoal is buried under a layer of fresh dirt.

The movement hadn’t bothered Tetsurou, who has finished with all the machines and pipes scattered about, and is observing the half collapsed house with a thoughtful frown. Kei pats off the dirt on his clothes and hands before joining him.

“That’s not going to be a easy fix,” Tetsurou remarks to him. “The frame is pretty much destroyed, most of the wood is burnt…”

“Let’s get started then…” Kei carefully takes a step closer and touches one of the splintered beams. Part of it crumbles under his hand and he quickly backs away as the house creaks. “...And not bring this down on our heads.”

Tetsurou huffs a laugh from beside him before reaching out with a hand. From this close, Kei can feel his magic welling up- it’s a burst of sunlight and a raising warmth. There are no visible signs of magic as he reaches out but as soon as he touches the wood, a pale, red light spreads from beneath his fingers and a few wisps of it drifts down his back.

The house creaks as the wooden beams start crumbing, the burnt areas flaking off to be replaced with pristine wood as the light spreads. The pile of debris is swallowed up by the light, and when the light fades, the materials are once again useable or already merged with the beams.

Kei takes a few steps away, gathering his own magic, and grabs a hold of one of the restored beams and pours. He closes his eyes to focus- it’s harder with the wood than it is with dirt, where he only had to multiply and move it. To fully repair the structure, and not have it collapse on them, he has to shift the beams back into their places as Tetsurou repairs it. He can sense the ashy residue of the Wanyuudou in the wood, but it’s being washed away by the sluggish warmth that is Tetsurou’s magic.

Tetsurou is cleansing the wood while he repairs it back to its original state and, for a moment, Kei is awed by the skill. Cleansing to Angels is what blessing is to Demons- challenging and difficult, practically impossible.

It’s easy, like breathing, to work with Tetsurou. And while their magic don’t really mix, they slip by each other smoothly and don’t hinder each other’s task. It also hurts because, feeling Tetsurou’s magic- _feeling someone else’s magic_ \- brushing against his, it’s like being suddenly dumped into a steaming bath- it’s warm, relaxing, but it’s different to what he’s used to and it _stings_.

The structure creaks again, more of a splintering sound than before and Kei refocuses.

He bends and slides the beams into their places, shifts metal and rebuilds the frame. Soon, he feels Tetsurou slide away, all the beams having been restored and leaving Kei with brand new material to work with. It goes quicker, now that he doesn’t need to account for any other magical presence. When he steps away, he’s breathing heavily and the sunlight hurts his eyes when he opens them.

But the frame is complete again, looking undamaged and new.

“Looks good,” Tetsurou comments from behind him. Kei jerks the slightest bit forward, startled. He hadn’t sensed the Angel, and only now he registers the white static that is Tetsurou.

Kei turns and walks away from the house. “Your turn.”

“You don’t need to leave,” Tetsurou tells him as takes a stand a few paces away from the frame. “I can do a blessing with you in the area.”

It has been a very, very long time since Kei’s been in the vicinity of a blessing.

Kei stops after putting a bit of distance between them, but he’s still in the area and he has a front row seat to Tetsurou, who is intently surveying the area before he closes his eyes. Tetsurou’s hands raise and he cups them in front of him.

It’s gradual, the welling of magic, and the hair on Kei’s arms stand up from the feeling. His eyes are glued to Tetsurou as a ball of white magic sparks in his cupped hands. Wisps of red magic trail off his back, burning white as it spreads out to form foggy wings behind him. With a ripple of silver, the wings lose their fuzzy outline, becoming solid.

They’re still hazy in colour, a pale translucent white, as if they are made of smoke. Majority of their wings are hazy and see through, and this wasn’t the first time he’s ever seen an Angel’s wings before, but for some reason, Kei’s eyes are fixed onto them. They frame Tetsurou’s build perfectly and, just from the looks of it, he has a large wingspan.

All that wingspan and Tetsurou can expertly use every single inch of it- that type of confidence shows. It’s in the way he stands after gaining them, not faltering at the change; it’s in the way they’re tucked to his back, aware of every single part of them, down to the very last feather.

Tetsurou spreads has hands and the ball of magic expands, as if being pulled, and it disperses. Kei can see the slight ripple of magic in the air as it spreads throughout the area.

He sees it but he isn’t prepared to feel it.

It’s warm and, above all, he feels settled. Stable and confident. Content. The magic washes over him like a beam of sunlight and he breathes; breathes like a heavy weight is lifted off of his chest and it feels like he’s tasting fresh, crisp air for the very first time. The churning in his gut calms and turns into a inner warmth, a small spot of comfort.

The ripple of magic fades as it goes further but its job is done. The area, previously feeling of burnt ashes and murky smoke, feels cleaner and renewed. It’s not entirely gone but it would fade with time.

Tetsurou’s wings fade with his magic, growing fainter until it scatters like mist. The air tastes of faint smoke and warm wind, light on his tongue. In the distance, the rustling of trees fill the background and Tetsurou slowly opens his eyes. His eyes are bright, maybe a result of the blessing, maybe not, but they shine.

“We’re done here, let’s go,” Kei blurts out, sharply turning on his heel. He busies himself with his pager, confirming a finished sweep, and tries to ignore Tetsurou as he catches up to him.

* * *

Kei is quiet as they drive down the roads after removing the wards. They’re heading towards the next destination they were given, another Sweep.

It isn’t a long drive, yet it feels like hours.

Tetsurou isn’t affected, tapping his fingers on the wheel and driving. Occasionally, he would glance over, though Kei wasn’t sure if it was to check his blind spots or to look at him.

His first Sweep in years and Kei feels empty. He doesn’t feel tired and he doesn’t feel the joy he had once felt after completing an assignment. The entire thing had practically been done through memory, even if he did have to dig a bit deeper to recall all the theory. The feeling of being here with Tetsurou, along with the heavy sound of the road passing under the car, makes him much more aware of the ache in his chest.

He hasn’t been present at a blessing in years and today, it had felt as if Tetsurou had included him in that blessing.

* * *

When they close in on their second destination- a small mountain resort village- they immediately notice the wards, even from a distance. They’re large and they look like they enclose a good portion of the village and nearby mountains.

They drive through the village, the citizens going through the day as if it was just another ordinary day. As soon as they cross the wards, the image of the village changes. In the distance, there is smoke crawling lazily into the sky and the area is empty of any living beings. From where they are, there aren’t any signs of damage.

“Retrieval was called,” Kei says, frowning down at his pager. Tetsurou makes a low noise, his grip on the wheel tightening.

As they get closer to where they can sense the Strike Team on site, they see the signs of destruction- fortunately, there aren’t any bodies.There’s a large crater in the paved stone road, nearby storefronts are torn apart and debris is scattered everywhere. A wrecked tour bus is lying on its side, looking as if it had been grabbed and crushed.

The Strike Team on the scene is standing by the bus, along with two others- the Retrieval Team. The four of them are standing in a cluster, quietly talking, but they stop when Tetsurou parks the car and the two of them step out.

Kei recognizes the Strike Team- Hajime and Daichi, who are primarily a defense based unit. The Retrieval Team, however, is unknown to him.

Hajime, the Demon with spiky black hair and an annoyed look, meets them halfway as the other three continue what now looks like an argument.

“Hey, sorry about the large ward, it was a precaution,” Hajime says, his annoyed expression smoothing out for an almost bashful one. “A Onikuma decided to come down from the mountain and people panicked.”

Tetsurou whistles, eying the damage. “A Onikuma, huh? A regular bear is frightening enough...”

“Any casualties?” Kei asks, voice disinterested. The look he sends the Retrieval Team however, belied his indifference.

“Thankfully, none.” Hajime grins, proud and triumphant. He tips his head towards one of the Angels behind him- the one with short brown hair and broad shoulders. “Daichi was able to protect and evacuate all the humans.”

Kei nods, subtly acknowledging their feat, and raises an eyebrow at the Retrieval Team. The team is leaving, a portal swirling to life near them. Hajime gives a displeased snort, crossing his arms and a scowl is back on his face.

“When we got the alert for the strike, they were expecting casualties,” Daichi informs them as he comes over. He gives Kei a gentle nod. “It’s nice to see you back in the field, Kei.”

“It’s clean up duty,” Kei blandly shoots back but Daichi smiles, genuine and pleased, and he can’t help but look away. Other than occasionally bumping into each other in the rec room, he has not spoken to Daichi in years.

Hajime huffs a laugh and there’s a slight smirk on his face as he stares at Tetsurou. “So, how’s being put on beginner duties again? Having fun?”

“You can switch with me, this would suit you much better.” Tetsurou glowers at him, though there’s an edge of amusement to it. Hajime is ready to reply but Daichi quickly cuts in.

“I’d rather not have you as my partner. Dealing with you in training was more than enough.”

“That hurts.” Tetsurou grasps his chest as if he had been stabbed. “Daichi, I thought what we had was special. Did you not miss that one time where we stole-”

Daichi bristles, taking a step forward. “That was entirely your fault!” he snaps, his arms are crossed but his shoulders are relaxed. “We had to repair the whole building, every single crack and hole.”

Tetsurou sniffs. “Good times.”

“Okay, we’re leaving.” Hajime is rolling his eyes as he not-so-subtly nudges Daichi away. “We’ve cleared the area of any living beings, all you need to do is the repair work and blessing.”

Daichi shoots Tetsurou one more glare- more challenging than truly annoyed- before leaving. The portal twists close after they step into it and Kei is already heading towards the wrecked bus before it disappears.

He can sense Tetsurou following him but he ignores the other, focusing completely on the crushed vehicle. A single touch of the shredded metal tells him all he needs to know and he reaches out with his magic.

His magic pours out, and this time he doesn’t try to compress it and lets it run free. Wings bloom from his back- from a wisp of darkening gold magic into a translucent and hazy set of smokey-gray wings. With half of his mind no longer occupied with controlling a part of his magic, he repairs the bus with ease. Metal pops and shrieks as the bus uncrumples and the glass grows back, washing away cracks and filling empty windows.

He pulls away, feeling his wings recede with his magic, and moves on. A quick glance tells him that Tetsurou is working on the storefronts so he gathers the debris. The two of them work in silence, the only sound being the wind, and Kei is relieved.

“I’ll get the crater,” Kei says shortly to Tetsurou after he finishes with the debris.

Tetsurou hums, looking up from where he’s repairing a broken door. “Alright.”

The crater is his size, if he laid down next to it, but Kei is sure it wouldn’t take long to fix. Years ago, it could have taken him an hour. Now, he knows he can do it in minutes. It’s a combination of experience and knowing possible shortcuts- taking the existing stone and altering it is much faster than creating it with magic after all.

As he mends the road, he listens; the sound of stone grinding on stone and the creaking and cracking of wood being restored. Magic is buzzing with activity behind him. It’s all so heart achingly familiar.

Tetsurou’s presence is a heavy static and, when he gives a wordless confirmation, the feeling of warmth raises from under that static. It’s lulling and the magic itches.

A blessing washes over him, his eyes are fixed on Tetsurou and he feels overwhelmed again.

Kei isn’t aware of when Tetsurou breaks the wards or when he got into the car, but he finds himself staring out the window, watching the streets and people all fly by. There’s a beep and he blinks, tearing his eyes away and focusing on the message on his pager. It’s another set of coordinates and he inputs them into the GPS.

“I didn’t think about how tedious this is,” Tetsurou groans and takes a hand off the wheel, flexing his fingers. “I haven’t used my magic this much in ages.”

“Must not have gotten any real assignments then,” Kei quips listlessly, turning to look out the window again.

“ _Hey_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Here's a beautiful drawing of Kuroo and his wings by 0rchidd](https://0rchiddart.tumblr.com/post/168399190099/haikyuu-bigbang-gold-forever-kurotsukki)  
>  Please go check her out, she's amazing!


	3. Sole Pride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last of the three chapters posted today, next one will be out in a week.

Kei would rather be dead than be caught hanging around in the rec room.

It’s why, that the moment Tetsurou sits down in the seat across from him, he seriously considers throwing himself out the window just beside the table. His responsibilities could be taken care of first thing tomorrow. Oikawa can wait.

“You’re up late,” Tetsurou says with a delighted grin, settling into his seat with his arms on the table. Kei immediately stands, picking up the folder with his report.

“Hey, come on, don’t leave,” Tetsurou whines, halfheartedly reaching for him. “Didn’t Oikawa want us to hand in that report in person? You need to be here for that.”

“He’s busy,” Kei huffs, considering his options. He could leave. But he would be called back by Oikawa complaining about him being late. Or he could stay, wait until Oikawa was done with whatever business he had in his office. That, however, would mean subjecting himself to Tetsurou’s company- something he would prefer not to do.

But the report…

Looking as if he had been stabbed by a knife, and it was being slowly twisted, he sits back down. Oikawa wouldn’t let his lateness go for a couple of years; Tetsurou hopefully wouldn’t be as bad.

“You already finished both reports?” Tetsurou asks with a slow smirk, watching as he settles back into the chair. He puts his elbows on the table and rests his chin on his hands, slyly smiling at him. Kei starts to reconsider his decision. Wants to smack that expression right off too.

“Yes,” he grumbles out, listlessly dropping the folder back onto the table. The room is filled with soft chatter and he hopes Tetsurou doesn’t want to add to that noise. He staes out the window, watching as the clouds slowly engulf the moon, when he catches the considering look Tetsurou sends his folder.

He narrows his eyes. “Did _you_ do your reports.”

“You could sound more interested when asking.” Quick as a flash, Tetsurou slides the folder towards himself and flips it open. Kei watches blankly as he skims it and cocks his head thoughtfully a few times. “You know this reads as boring as a stale piece of bread?”

“‘The damage of the site was not extensive and repairs were minor…’ or ‘Blessings have been applied to the necessary areas-’ and,” Tetsurou throws him a disbelieving look, “you actually listed everything we blessed?”

Kei glares, reaching over and snatching the folder back. “What do you think the point of a report is?”

“Some kind of punishment from the higher ups,” Tetsurou quips without missing a beat. He waves a hand in the air, exclaiming, “You should make it more thrilling- like ‘after everything was fixed, a ghost jumped out and wrecked everything again’!”

Kei pointedly closes the folder with a soft snap, putting it to the side. The table fits four people and Tetsurou would have to lean forward to grab it again. “You...can do that with your report. I’ll sit here and enjoy watching when you get hauled away for falsifying reports.”

“Harsh. You wouldn’t even help me?”

“No.”

Tetsurou snorts with, what looks like, a _fond_ quirk of his lips, much to Kei’s horror. He waves a hand lazily in the air, mock pouting at Kei. Whatever he was going to say gets dropped when Oikawa hurries over, stopping at their table.

“Sorry, I had a quick meeting with another team.” Oikawa is running a hand through his hair as he asks, “Reports?”

Kei hands over his folder. “We’re not going over this in your office?”

“No, no, there’s something I’m sending you both on right away,” Oikawa tells them, giving the report a cursory skim before closing it. He then levels Tetsurou with an exasperated look. “You.”

“Me,” Tetsurou says weakly, sinking the slightest bit down his chair.

“Get your reports done and hand it in the next time or…” A smug smile slides onto Oikawa’s face, languid and too sweet. “I’ll tell Kenma about this.”

Kei is unbelievably gratified to see Tetsurou wince and droop, giving Oikawa a meek ‘ _yes_ …’ with a sullen glare. Whoever Kenma is, Tetsurou obviously did not want to get on their bad side.

“Great!” Oikawa beams at them with a clap of his hands and gestures them up. “Now, come on. I actually have a slightly urgent assignment for you two.”

Oikawa leads them through the rec room and down the office hall, passing his without a glance. Kei catches a glimpse of a few people in the office as they walk by it. They walk past all the offices before they take a right turn, down another hallway.

“A Retrieval Team was sent a couple of minutes ago and the Strike Team is already on site,” Oikawa is informing them as they walk. They stop in front of a white wood door that only swings open when Oikawa touches the handle, his magic sparking against it- a flash of burning cold and bright light in the back of Kei’s head.

“I don’t know how many casualties there will be, but Retrieval will have that handled. Just be on stand by and sweep it all up after, okay?”

Kei and Tetsurou both give affirming noises and they step into the room. The both of them are familiar with the Portal Room; it’s an empty white room with white tiles. The only thing in it is a large door frame without any doors against the back wall, made of black walnut wood and decorated with engravings.

Oikawa stops in front of the frame, reaches out and opens his hand. There’s a flash of green, along with the feeling of cold searing skin, and a key ripples to life in his palm. He grasps it, inserting it into the empty space in the frame and twists. When he backs away, the key is stuck there, as if it’s in an unseen keyhole. Waves of magic ripple out from it to fill the frame.

“Keep your guard up, stay safe,” he tells them as the key melts into a green spot and starts twisting behind him. The green swirls outward until the entire frame is filled and stops, leaving a veil of green, shimmering magic- a portal.

Kei enters the portal with Tetsurou just a step behind him.

* * *

The moment the drowning sensation of the portal lets him go, Kei is instantly up and alert, his magical welling up and ready. Tetsurou isn’t far behind him, eyes flashing about and shoulders tense.

They’ve been dropped by a river bank and the scene, lit only by the full moon, is quiet. The river is completely still, mirroring the night sky. Cherry trees line the river from a distance, their rustling a murmur in the breeze. There is a bridge far off but the sounds of cars still reaches them faintly.

The air, however, is heavy with death; a trail of cold fingers down his back as he reaches out with his magic.

“Over there,” Tetsurou whispers, but his words are still loud in the stillness of the night. He’s looking further down by the river, where two people- an Angel and Demon pair- are crouched around something. Further away from the bank is another Angel and Demon pair, spread out and scanning the area with keen eyes.

One of them is already watching them and, when Kei meets their eyes, motions them over.

“Keiji,” Kei greets in a low tone. The Demon has curled messy hair and a wicked control on his magic, something he has once experienced in training. “Casualties?”

“Mm.” Keiji looks over to the pair by the river- the Retrieval Team. “Two casualties. They were dead before we got to the scene. I was able to fight the Kappa off, but it had already started on the body.”

Tetsurou makes a noise from where he stood beside Kei. “A Kappa? They don’t usually go for more than one human at a time.”

“A Kappa and a Suiko,” Keiji corrects, turning to look at the Angel heading towards them. “We thought it was two Kappas, but…”

“Their souls were also eaten,” the Angel finishes before glancing at Tetsurou, brow raised. “You never said anything about coming back into the field.”

Tetsurou gives a slight grin. “It’s only been a few days since I started. Didn’t have time to tell everyone.”

Kei watches as the two of them start talking before looking over at Keiji, who meets his eyes and glances towards the Angel. “You’ve probably already figured it out but this is my partner, Akinori,” he says.

Kei observes Akinori for a moment, noting the blond hair and narrow eyes. It wasn’t like he looked overly special, rather, he seemed pretty...ordinary.

“He’s the one that made that genius breakthrough with the wards?” he dubiously asks. Akinori is jostling shoulders with Tetsurou and the two are mock snapping at each other, practically butting heads.

Keiji cracks a small smile before murmuring, “I assure you he’s better than what he seems.”

“Well...he does need to keep up with you,” Kei says before turning to watch the Retrieval Team.

The team is still huddled around the thing- which, if Kei really thinks about it, is definitely a body- but beyond a few hand movements they are still. From this distance, without pushing out his magic, he can only feel the static of their presence. Behind him, a small bicker breaks out- though their tones are thankfully hushed and teasing. Keiji is watching with him, occasionally scanning the area.

There’s a dim glow as the Angel of the Retrieval Team reaches a hand out to, not the body, but the river. A soft mist slowly rises out of the water, much like a normal layer of mist- only this ‘mist’ is a soul, a severely damaged one.

_They’re lucky enough there’s even enough of a soul to be recovered_ , Kei thinks.

Steadily, the mist is gathered into a pale white sphere in the Angel’s hand and, with surge of magic, it compresses down into a tiny, white marble in their hand. Carefully, the soul is passed to the Demon and the Angel reaches out again.

“Are we expecting something?” Kei questions after Keiji finishes another scan of their surroundings. Keiji slowly shakes his head.

“We didn’t sense anything else, but if these weren’t the first humans to die here,” he pauses and sighs. “It’s possible we might be seeing some Furaribi.”

Kei frowns, making a low noise. Furaribi are small, floating creatures coated with fire, formed from the tatters of a damaged soul. If there have been previous deaths and their souls hadn’t been collected…

The Angel steps back, lowering their hand and shaking their head.

“The Suiko most likely ate the souls before they had the chance to become anything else then,” Keiji realizes. They all share a moment of silence before they move, silently giving each other a farewell. Keiji pulls out his pager, sending off an alert, as Kei follows Tetsurou towards the river.

The Retrieval Team has taken care of the body, leaving them with only the minor damage at the sides of the river. Kei senses a portal surging to life behind them before it flickers out, taking Keiji, Akinori and the Retrieval Team away.

“They didn’t leave much to fix,” Tetsurou remarks quietly, observing some claw marks. Kei nods, stepping closer.

He doesn’t even bother bending down, merely tempering down his magic and directing it through his feet and into the ground. He closes his eyes, feeling the dirt and water- it’s tinged with hints of copper and rotten meat. It’s the quickest repair he’s done so far and he’s stepping away, cutting off his magic, the moment it’s finished.

Tetsurou gently brushes past him and reaches his hand out, a languid warmth and light raising with his arm. The blessing takes hold and washes away the disgust and nausea Kei feels; washes away the cold fingers of death until it’s only a faint crawling feeling on their necks.

“Let’s go,” Tetsurou breathes, guiding him away with a hand on his back.

Kei lets him.

* * *

He wakes up the next day to another beep of the pager, another ‘ _SWEEP_ ’ followed by another set of coordinates. He rolls out of bed, gets ready and meets Tetsurou in the parking lot and they head off to their destination.

He does it all again the very next day.

(“You wanna drive?”

Kei gives the offered keys a dirty glare before drawling, “And prevent you from having your own drum performance on the wheel? Never.”

“You’re right,” Tetsurou dramatically gasps. “I would never survive the trip without my own drum solo on the steering wheel. And how could I offer to take you away from the same scenery outside the window for hours?”

Kei huffs, getting into the car and buckling his seatbelt. “Just drive.”

“Yes, sir.”)

All the Sweeps he completes eventually blur into one another and into the next day.

On his downtime, Kei often lounged around in his room with a book or two, unwinding from the back to back assignments. Most of these days, he rarely saw Tetsurou- or anyone else for that matter- and basked in the peace and solitude.

Of course, it’s on one of these days that Tetsurou decided to find out where he lived.

(“Oh, no. How did you find out where I live.”

Tetsurou smirks at him through his doorway, all triumphant and smug. “There’s only two buildings you could be in. If it wasn’t mine, it’s the other.”

“That doesn’t explain how you found out exactly where I live.”

“Oh. That was easy. The elevators show which floor you stop at and that narrowed it down enough for me to track you.”

Kei thinks that he looks way too proud of this feat and simply shuts the door in his face. He ignores the muffled protests and sits back down, picking up his book and continuing where he had left off.)

Occasionally, Kei would spend his downtime to visit a friend at Sentry or take a brief walk around the building. He never went far and, eventually, he’d end up back in his room with a book in hand and gazing out the window.

(“Could you get all the little pieces?” Tetsurou calls as he hefts a log off what once was a porch. The area is a mess, looking as if a tornado had ripped through it. “I’ll do what I can with the cottage.”

“Yeah.” Kei takes in the field, completely covered with debris and splintered wood, and just barely manages to stifle a sigh. It’s just another day, another Sweep.)

Being back in the field is different but, he admits, it isn’t as bad as he had feared it would be. All he hopes is that it would stay that way.

* * *

One day, Kei gets the notification for a new assignment- only, it doesn’t come in through his pager.

It came in the form of three knocks at his door and a wash of static.

“Yes?” he drones, flatly staring at the knocker.

Tetsurou beams back at him, rocking on his heels and waving a folder in his hand. “We’re being upgraded! We got a Retrieval instead of a Sweep.”

“Oh.” Kei blinks. “Fun. What kind?”

Tetsurou droops a bit at that, his hand lowering and nose scrunching in distaste. “Unfortunately, city retrieval.”

“Ugh,” Kei grumbles, turning away and walking back into his room. He’s collecting his pager and throwing on a jacket when Tetsurou wanders in, peering at everything in his apartment with wide eyes.

“I went through great lengths to talk Oikawa into giving this to us,” Tetsurou tells him as he inspects the bookshelf, tilting his head to read the titles. “I bet he gave us city retrieval to get back at me.”

“You probably annoyed him enough to assign that.” Kei motions at the folder, taking it and flipping it open. He pauses, staring at the contents before leveling Tetsurou with the flattest look ever. He takes the single piece of paper out and presents it without much flourish.

“This just says ‘get out of my office you shit’”

Tetsurou snatches the paper away with an incredulous ‘ _what_ ’ and, sure enough, in neat handwriting are the words ‘get out of my office you shit’.

“That _little_ -” Tetsurou is cut off by a beep from both their pagers.

‘ _US10-RETRIEVAL_ ’ is the message, followed by the name of a ward in Tokyo.

Kei snickers as he heads towards the door, covering his mouth. “Well, I guess you did go through great lengths after all.”

“ _.....I cannot believe,_ ” Tetsurou is still grumbling as they take the elevator down.

* * *

The Sentry building in Tokyo is situated in Taito, the neighbouring district to Chuo- which is their assigned ward.

“It’ll be exciting to walk around, maybe even sightsee!” Tetsurou, who had gotten over his indignation on the train ride over, exclaims.

Kei shrugs, sliding his hands into his pockets. “Not really. We have a job to do.”

He’s jostled by Tetsurou nudging him with an elbow and throwing him a convincing grin. “There’s nothing stopping us from sightseeing, we could have a bit of fun, relive our past. We have the entire day!”

“No thanks.”

“Aww, Kei, come on,” Tetsurou whines, speeding up to catch up to his quick strides. They merge into a crowd of shoppers on a street that branches off into smaller streets and alleys. Tetsurou’s voice is quieter, the words only for their ears. “Enjoy it a bit, city retrieval isn’t that interesting.”

“Over there.” Kei ignores him and guides them towards the side and into one of the smaller streets. “I can’t pinpoint it though.”

Tetsurou huffs but lets it go for now and takes the lead. “Leave that to me.”

He leads them further down the street, pausing for a moment before taking a right turn. It’s a dead end with residential buildings. The street is empty of any people, though the murmuring of the crowds reaches them. Outside the homes are a few beautifully potted plants, adding to the pleasing appearance of the area- but that wasn’t what they focused on.

Lingering by one of the windows, beside an unlit lantern like a runaway flame, is a soul.

It’s a pale light, small enough to fit in one hand, and it doesn’t have a defined shape- it grows fainter the further it spread out from the solid core of light at its centre. The soul drifts, orbiting around the lantern and the front of the house.

“Clear?”

Kei pushes out a sliver of his magic, scanning the area before following it with a visual scan. “Clear.”

Tetsurou approaches the soul and, when it drifts within his reach, scoops it up with his hand. He brings it close to his chest, covering it with his other hand and closes his eyes.

Kei keeps an eye on their surroundings as a burst of sunlight, there and gone, flows over his senses. When Tetsurou joins him, he’s holding what looks like a milky-white glass marble carefully in his hand. It’s only when Kei throws out a quick scan and it echos back at him, the undiluted feeling of _life_ surrounded by a sliver of Tetsurou’s magic, that he knows it’s not an ordinary marble.

“One down, who knows how many to go,” Tetsurou remarks as he delicately hands the marble over. Kei takes it just as carefully, slipping it into his pocket and keeping a hand on it.

They go back to the bigger street, filled with the chatter of people and the sound of cars, and Tetsurou stops for a moment before he leads them across the street, stopping at an intersection with a red light. Kei takes the moment to scan the area again.

Beyond the static that is Tetsurou, and another Demon in the area, he only gets a vague sense of the nearest drifting soul- its bright white spark a dim gleam to him.

The crossing light turns green and he follows Tetsurou across the street.

“There’s not much,” Tetsurou whispers to him as they walk by a group of teenagers. “I’m only sensing a few, though there might be more outside of my range.”

“How far apart are they?” he asks, not looking forward to a whole day of aimless walking.

Tetsurou shrugs, motioning vaguely to the left with his hand before pointing straight ahead. “There’s one over there and one straight ahead. The one to the left feels closer so let’s get that one first.”

“Mhm.” Kei nods, stepping out of the way of a person with large shopping bags. The two of them change their route with Tetsurou leading the way, but not in silence as he had hoped.

“You don’t have much in your room,” Tetsurou starts and he quietly groans, flicking his eyes up and giving a momentary prayer. Tetsurou continues nonetheless, asking, “What do you do on your downtime?”

“I read.”

“...That’s it? Really? No exploring, games, friends to hang out with?”

“No.”

Tetsurou looks downright bewildered before he narrows his eyes at him. “You’re joking right.”

“No.”

They come to a stop at another intersection, this one much busier than the previous one, and Tetsurou takes the opportunity to spin around and shake a finger in his face. “We need to change that as soon as possible- actually let’s do that right now.”

“I have better things to do than slack off,” Kei huffs as the light turns green and he walks past him. There’s a couple of people crossing from the other side and he makes sure to put some distance between them. “Like finding souls, did you already forget?”

“Noo.” Tetsurou easily keeps up with his pace, rattling off activities. “We could stop by one of the parks? Shopping? Visit the beach? Movies?”

“Doing my job,” Kei blandly replies.

Tetsurou says something in response, but his words are drowned out by the screeching of brakes and crashing metal. There’s shattering glass and screams, but Kei ignores that in favour of sensing a off-white spark of human life flicker out before blazing back into a bright white spark in his head.

Kei turns to see the mayhem at the intersection they had just crossed

The traffic has come to a complete stop, the path blocked by two cars in the middle of the intersection. A silver car had rammed into the side of a black car, caving in the driver’s side. Even if he couldn’t sense the, now drifting, soul, Kei would have known immediately it was impossible for the person to survive.

“People are calling the paramedics. Do we have time to call in one of ours?” Tetsurou asks, all of his previous goofiness and lighthearted badgering wiped away. Kei surveys the area before shaking his head.

“Won’t be worth it,” he says, “it’s a small enough incident.”

Tetsurou hums before nodding. “Alright, guess I have to be sneaky. Ready?”

Kei knows he isn’t as good as Tetsurou in sensing souls- Angels usually excel at that- but at this distance, even he can feel the lone drifting soul that had once been the driver of the black car. Within the sea of humans, whose souls seem more dim and coloured, the bright spark of it stands out vividly. While the silver car’s driver is alive, their soul still bright in it’s off-white glow, the soul of the passenger in the black car is fading- the human in danger of dying.

There’s a distant wail of sirens.

“Go,” Kei murmurs. Without a word and no wasted movement, Tetsurou walks forward, straight into the crash. The whisper of feathers follow him and with every step, the feeling of sunlight blankets him- a veil of magic settling around him.

The eyes of the crowd that has gathered pass right over Tetsurou as he steps over glass and shredded metal. He crouches by the wrecked silver door, taking in the unconscious bodies, and reaches a hand towards the driver. Focusing on the soul, he easily coaxes it out, gently grabbing it in his hand before he pulls back. When he opens his hand again, a white marble is resting on his palm.

Tetsurou is moving to stand when a nearby soul sputters, blinking out before flaring bright again. It’s followed by the sound of sirens and police arriving on the scene. The passenger had just died and Tetsurou quickly reaches for their soul.

The police are starting to clear the area and Kei curses when he see the soul as it’s pulled out- it’s a misty blob, dispersed and thin. The soul is damaged- the human had been traumatized from the crash before dying.

One of the police officers is heading towards where Tetsurou is and Kei steps in. With a twitch of his finger and a crackle of electricity in his head, he calls out, “Excuse me?”

The officer turns, his eyes running over Tetsurou without seeing him.

Tetsurou is still crouched by the car, muttering something under his breath and slowly, painfully slowly, the misty soul condenses again, drawing back into its core and burning solid. He scoops up the soul as he gets out of there, rolling his magic over it.

Kei twitches his finger again, eyes focused on the officer and only catching sight of Tetsurou leaving the scene from the corner of his eye. “Sorry, it’s nothing.”

As if he had never been called, the officer turns back to the wreckage and continues his duty. Tetsurou’s hand gently presses against his and Kei feels the two marbles gingerly dropped into his hand. He turns and the two of them walk away.

Tetsurou throws one last glance back. “I hope they have a better life next time,” he says softly.

“Yeah,” Kei murmurs.

The three souls in his pocket blaze bright with life and he curls his hand around them.

They push through the crowd of people watching the crash, slipping through easily. Tetsurou leads them back towards their original destination and the sounds of the murmuring people and police fade, bleeding back into normal crowd chatter and passing cars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Some awesome art of Tsukishima by 0rchidd!](https://0rchiddart.tumblr.com/post/168405604929/haikyuu-bigbang-gold-forever-kurotsukki)   
> 


	4. Kindle

“Over here, Tetsurou!”

Behind him, the sharp ring of the bell cuts through the air and the door rattles as it closes. Over the chatter of the customers in the cafe, Tetsurou can hear his name being called again and he heads over. A guy with spiked brown hair is half out of his seat, waving at him from the corner table.

“Hey, guys,” he greets, a smile spreading across his face as he sits down in the last empty seat. Around him at the circular table are Hajime, Akinori and two humans- Inuoka Sou and Ennoshita Chikara.

The one with brown hair, Inuoka, eagerly leans forward and excitedly asks, “I heard from Akinori that you’re on a Strike Team now?”

“More like back on beginner duties,” Akinori jests from across the table as he and Hajime share a short laugh. Ennoshita shakes his head as he snorts, his black hair falling into his eyes, and gives Tetsurou a look.

“Clean up duty?” he asks knowingly.

Tetsurou huffily grunts, crossing his arms. “Only for a bit. Just watch, I’ll be taking your assignments away soon.”

“Good luck,” Hajime tells him, amusement plastered on his face. “I’d like to see you try.”

Akinori bumps into his shoulder from beside him and laughs. Tetsurou pouts, shoving him off. “Thanks, guys. Ennoshita, can you believe these two?”

Ennoshita gives a small shrug, nursing his mug of coffee, but slyly tells him, “You’ll find out that when you do take their assignments, they won’t be laughing.”

Akinori picks up a napkin and flings it at him. “You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”

Ennoshita merely takes a sip, hiding a smirk.

“I remember when Ennoshita was-” Inuoka pauses and looks behind his back. A waiter passes by their table and he waits a moment before continuing. Around them, the other tables are thankfully empty. “Well, in duty with me.”

“Shhh.” Ennoshita puts his cup away, folding his hands in front of him innocently. “They don’t need to know. Nothing happened.”

“He’s so much more devious than you would think,” Inuoka blurts out, raising his hands defensively when Ennoshita gives him a look. He grins. “Should have been a Demon instead of an Angel.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Ennoshita dryly replies. Hajime raises his hand, as if he was holding a cup, and nods at him.

“To being Demons.”

Ennoshita laughs, toasting with his cup of coffee. Once he lowers his cup, Inuoka jumps in with a laugh, toasting with his cup of tea. “To Angels!”

Akinori and Tetsurou snicker, both of them raising their hands and mock toasting. All of them start laughing again as they lower their arms. When Inuoka’s cup hits the table, a waiter stops by their table, placing a plate of fried chicken and meat buns on the table before leaving.

“So, what have you all been up to?” Tetsurou prompts as Inuoka eagerly pulls the plate of fried chicken towards him. Ennoshita does the same with the meat buns, biting into one.

Inuoka takes a bite of his chicken and swallows before answering, “I got a job with Sentry.”

“Ehh?” Tetsurou tilts his head. “I didn’t think you’d want to come back?”

Inuoka scrunches up his face, waving indecisively with a chicken wing. “I guess I missed it! I won’t be able to go out in the field like before, but it’s well….”

He shares a look with Ennoshita.

“It’s weird,” Ennoshita murmurs, nostalgia tinting his words. “I mean, I don’t miss doing things like Retrieval but being human again is weird. Knowing all of this and living a normal life isn’t really possible.”

Tetsurou gives a low hum, glancing at Akinori and Hajime. The five of them may have once been co-workers at a certain point but, now, there was a rather clear line between them. He wonders, not for the first time, and grasps at the foggy memories of his past. Where would he be after his time as an Angel?

Ennoshita gently squishes his meat bun. “I almost wish I wasn’t lucky enough to remember.”

“I’m glad I remember.” Inuoka gives a soft laugh, waving a hand to gesture to everything around them. “A lot of things make sense now that I know...and I guess I’m not afraid of dying anymore. I’d know what happens after.”

Hajime huffs softly, watching the two humans eat almost longingly. “The chances of you remembering again are slim, Sou.”

“I know!” Inuoka grins nonetheless, bouncing on the edge of his seat. “But I think my soul would at least remember! And I’d think I would take up the chance to become an Angel again.”

Akinori laughs, reaching over and punching him softly. “Next time around, try being a Demon!”

“Speak for yourself, Inuoka is all Angel,” Ennoshita comments, not even glancing up from his meat buns. “You should be a Demon.”

“Hey!” Akinori huffs, leaning back in his seat. “I’m all Angel too!”

“Didn’t you nearly fail your assessment because of the prank you played on Oikawa,” Hajime throws in, snickering.

“Or that time you terrified the old man and threatened to curse him,” Tetsurou quickly adds, a smirk curving his lips.

Ennoshita nods, sipping his coffee. “Or when you tied up that Bakeneko and-”

“How do you even remember Nekomata? Or our training days?! That was like centuries ago!” Akinori screams, pointing at Ennoshita. “And screw you all! Tetsurou would have been a Demon too if those were the requirements!”

“I never forget,” Ennoshita whispers, staring forlornly into his coffee. It seemed like a cloud had engulfed the sun and Tetsurou swore he heard the sad tune of a violin in the background.

Hajime cackles, slapping at the table. “I take it you’re enjoying your acting job?”

“Much more relaxing than blessing and fighting.” Ennoshita’s mouth quirks into a small smile. “And I didn’t remember that the Bakeneko’s name was Nekomata.”

“I think you were closer to Daichi and the Yatagarasu,” Hajime says thoughtfully. “Though I don’t know much about Daichi when he was in the Academy.”

“The Yatagarasu is Ukai,” Tetsurou offers. “Ennoshita, you were pretty close to Daichi. Ukai took you two under his wing- quite literally.”

“I can bring Daichi to our next meeting?” Hajime says. “Might stir up some memories.”

Ennoshita is quiet for a moment, sipping his coffee, before he slowly shakes his head. “I remember what I need to- Kenji would be laughing if he was here.”  
Inuoka softly pats his shoulder, supportive and understanding more than anyone else present. If there was one thing that they both missed from their previous lives, it would be their partners.

“Hey, that reminds me, who’s your partner? Is it Kenma?” Inuoka asks, glancing at Tetsurou. Ennoshita also looks up curiously as the two of them haven’t have seen him with Kei like the other two have.

“Kenma would hate being on an active Strike Team.” Tetsurou cackles, just imagining the face he would have pulled. “I’m partnered with a Demon named Kei.”

“Kei?” Inuoka repeats, thoughtfully furrowing his eyes. Ennoshita hums, turning his cup in his hands before making a noise, blinking.

“Kei as in blond hair, glasses?”

Tetsurou nods. “That’s him. You know him?”

“Only through the Academy. I think he joined a bit after me,” Ennoshita tells them. “I might be wrong but I think he was picked to be on a Strike Team right out of training.”

“Keiji knows him, but I don’t really. I’ve only seen him around,” Akinori offers his own experience and shrugs. “Seems like a quiet guy to me.”

“He can be rather quiet,” Hajime agrees, flicking his eyes towards Tetsurou. “But he’s pretty damn good. At least that’s what I hear from Daichi.”

Tetsurou gives a small shrug, tapping the table and watching the other customers in the cafe. “We haven’t been given any difficult assignments yet. His rankings are certainly high though.”

“He hasn’t been active for quite a bit of time.” Hajime pauses, as if silently debating something before continuing in a quieter tone. This time, his words are only for Tetsurou. “Daichi asked me to tell you that Kei can be difficult to get along with- though knowing you, you’re rather persistent. And that you should stay by him if possible, especially now.”

There’s a thoughtful frown on Hajime’s face. “I don’t really know what he meant, but you probably do.”

“Mm.” Tetsurou thinks about hardened eyes and the distant way Kei held himself and slowly nods. “I think I do.”

While the conversation moves on, jumping from topic to topic, he hangs back, only half heartedly listening to his friends. The memories of Kei spacing out and the arm's length distance between them floods his mind.

* * *

Tetsurou wakes up to the beep of his pager and he clumsily rolls out of his bed, dragging his blankets and pillows down with him. He groans, picking through the blankets and digging out his pager.

‘ _US10-SWEEP_ ’ blinks at him from the screen and he sits up, running a hand through his tangled hair.

Tetsurou is still yawning when he steps out of the elevator and into the parking lot. Kei is already there, standing beside a silver car. He glances at him before dryly saying, “I think I’ll drive today. I’d like to stay out of any accidents.”

“Aww, Kei-” Tetsurou’s cut off by a large yawn and, as he blinks the tears out of his eyes, Kei is already starting the car. He quickly gets in and leans over, a slight pout on his lips. “I can drive. I thought you didn’t like driving.”

“I like staying safe more,” Kei replies as he backs out of the parking space. He’s still distant but Tetsurou thinks that, compared to their first few days, there’s a difference and he grins, amused, and protests good naturedly.

“I wouldn’t have crashed the car!”

* * *

Tetsurou is taking in the scene the moment they get to their destination, mouth pressed flat. The wards are small, enclosing just a portion of the neighbourhood; it lets them easily see the entire affected area.

With a heavy heart, he takes in the body by the side of the road, slumped over and soul bright with its death. Around it, the road is cracked and stained with blood.

Behind him, he can sense Kei approaching and hear the hushed tones of the other Strike Team speaking to two other humans. He sighs, resigned, as the entire situation is much more complicated with witnesses.

Kei stops beside him, softly exhaling. “Let’s get started….”

“Yeah.” He sighs again.

Tetsurou approaches the Strike Team and humans, giving the team the green light to leave as he takes control of the situation. He looks at the humans, instantly recognizing the family resemblance, and his heart aches.

He looks at the wall behind them, sparks his magic, and he talks. His tone is soft, quiet and lulling.

Tetsurou can feel the silky glide of Kei’s magic behind him, and he draws just the slightest bit of needed confidence from its presence. From the corner of his eyes, he can see their eyes’ closing. They might be considered adults, but he can’t see them as anything else but children- ones who had just lost a parent.

As they fall, he catches them and gently rests them against the wall. On a whim, he gathers up his magic and brushes his glowing fingers against their foreheads, washing them in a small blessing.

Kei’s just finishing up with the repairs as he stands; the split road mended and smooth once again. Tetsurou stands by the two children and watches as Kei walks around the blood. His hand is held above the stains, a sphere of pale light hovering just under it. The blood flakes off the ground and into the sphere as if it was a magnet. Kei turns his hand once all the blood is gone, cradling the blood-filled sphere, and he gives Tetsurou a nod.

The first thing he does is approach the body, feeling for the vibrant spark of the soul. The soul reaches back as he coaxes it out and he holds his breath as too many emotions- way too fast for him to actually feel- floods him. He envelops it with his magic, compressing until it looks no different to an ordinary marble.

The soul is a heavy weight in his hand, but he keeps it with him even as he raises his free hand. His wings bloom with his magic and he can faintly feel the wind through each feather.

He’s pulling on his memories of joy and calm, steadying both himself and his magic and releases it; he knows every square inch of the area and everything it contains, from the humans to the rocks and insects- and Kei. Kei is a blazing beacon in his mind, and his magic easily slips around him.

Kei’s magic feels of silk and the edge of a blade and, Tetsurou thinks that, even if he tries, it would slip through his fingers.

The air is lighter when he takes a large breath, opening his eyes. He lets his wings disperse, shrugging at the weight loss and watches Kei as he heads towards the body. Kei shatters the sphere of blood, purposefully spraying the body and everything surrounding it. With a couple of adjustments, the scene looks like any usual murder scene- made with guns and knives instead of claws and teeth.

Kei walks past him and grasps at the air. The wards phase into view and unravel at his touch. Tetsurou comes up to him as the last bits of the ward disappears and squeezes his shoulder. He presses their shoulders together for a fleeting moment and takes the car keys.

Tetsurou drives them to their next destination.

* * *

On their next day off, Tetsurou decides that he should do something with Kei, especially since he is sure that the other had not gone out since their time in Chuo.

Only, as he stands in front of Kei’s door, he hesitates.

 _‘...you should stay by him if possible, especially now_ ’ echoes in his head in Daichi’s voice.

Tetsurou grumbles, chasing the words out of his head and knocks on the door. “Keiiii!”

There’s a moment of stillness, where the feeling of smooth silk and electric fades into a soft buzzing static, and he swears he could hear Kei’s sigh through the walls.

The door opens and he’s faced with Kei’s disgruntled expression. “What.”

“We have a free day, let’s do something. We never did get to go do something fun when we were on city retrieval.”

“I’m busy.”

Kei is closing the door and he quickly blurts out, “You were practicing your magic right? We can work on that together!”

Tetsurou crosses his fingers, plastering on the most convincing face he could pull off as Kei slowly considers. Warily, Kei opens the door and lets him in.

‘ _Yes_!’ he silently cheers, hurriedly stepping in before Kei could change his mind. He follows Kei to his bedroom, thoroughly taking in everything now that he has the time to.

Beyond the large bookshelf, Kei’s room is rather bare. The room is still painted white and the complimentary desk, drawer and bed still occupy it; Kei hasn’t bothered to change much of the apartment from when he first got it. There are a couple of files and scattered paper on the desk and a picture frame with a crow feather hangs above it.

“So, what were you practicing?” Tetsurou asks as he pulls the desk chair out and takes a seat.

Kei sits down on the edge of his bed and raises a hand, the thrumming of his magic seeping into the air. He traces a line in the air, parallel to the floor, and it extends- becoming a pale wall of light. “Barriers,” he says. “We’d probably need them if we’re taking on strikes.”

“Barriers, huh?” Tetsurou watches as the barrier shatters into sparks with a simple tap of Kei’s finger. “I don’t know much about them; wards are my thing.”

“I’m not surprised,” Kei comments, raising his hand again and presses it against the air in front of him, as if there was a solid wall there. This time, he closes his eyes and his magic surges- it slithers over Tetsurou’s senses and he sharply inhales, holding his breath.

A glass-like wall flows from under Kei’s palm, extending to fully enclose the section of the room in front of them. In contrast to the barrier, which had been a steady buzz of power, the ward feels alive, shifting and swirling over itself.

“Wards need to be tended to, and you need to adjust them or add to them. Barriers are just walls.”

Tetsurou reaches out, touching the still visible ward and brushes it cautiously with a sliver of his own magic. Kei doesn’t react beyond a twitch of his fingers, but the ward wavers. Tetsurou smoothes the ward before it unravels. It isn’t bad, but if he made a few adjustments…

As his magic slides around the smooth silk of Kei’s, he wonders about the current of power hidden just under it, and how interesting it would be to feel it.

“I weave wards,” he says, doing just that. “I only make the basic ward before weaving in the other basics and whatever’s needed. Daichi actually taught me that...though not without owing him.”

Kei snorts as he draws his magic out of the ward. “Daichi? How annoying were you that he made you pay for his help?”

“Hey, he just had it out for me, I did nothing wrong,” Tetsurou protests, slowly releasing his own magic. Kei gives him a disbelieving look as the ward unravels into nothing. “He never taught me barriers though, could you?”

Kei raises one eyebrow. “Barriers are typically a Demon thing, why would you want to learn?”

“You’re learned about wards, didn’t you?” Tetsurou counters. “That’s an Angel thing and yet you’ve done it. I can help you improve them too.”

Kei huffs but doesn’t say anything, instead, he turns to face him and starts explaining.

“Barriers don’t change- they’re somewhat flexible and you can adjust them but ultimately they’re just walls that contain something or defend against an attack. Angels use wards instead of barriers since they’ve already taught you that, but barriers aren’t too different.”

Magic sparks at Kei’s fingers, bright and fleeting, as he draws up another barrier.

“When you create a ward, you add on to it. It’s constantly changing and depending on the factors around it....”

Tetsurou watches, elbow resting on the desk and chin in his hand, as he goes into the theory of barriers and wards, quietly at first before he starts gesturing with his hands.

Kei’s certain in his knowledge and it shines.

* * *

“Ohh, that’s new.”

Tetsurou passes his pager over to Kei, leaning dangerously out of the chair. He has, once again, barged his way into Kei’s apartment. Kei had reluctantly let him in again though, he’s thrilled to note, it wasn’t as reluctant as the last time.

Kei glances at the pager, sighing as he passes it back. ‘ _US10-INVEST:G_ ’ is the message.

“Ready to explore a haunted house?” he asks, grinning at the scowl Kei shoots him. “You don’t like ghosts?”

“I prefer spirits.”

Tetsurou laughs softly as they head out, agreeing. “Yeah, me too.”

It’s a short drive to their destination, a small house in a quiet neighbourhood.

There’s ‘ _BEWARE_ ’ spray painted on the door and the paint is peeling from walls. The house is one story tall but the windows are unnaturally tinted black, preventing them from looking into the house. Outside, it looks pretty ordinary, if not a bit run down.

As they walk up to the door, the air shifts drastically, and they walk as if they were wading through water and breathing smoke. Tetsurou’s face scrunches up at the feeling, his hackles rising.

“Well, that’s not something that happened recently.” He glances at Kei before he kicks down the door, the heat of his magic burning in his chest.

Something howls and a vase smashes right in front of them, sending shards of glass flying. Most of the shards bounce off the hasty barrier Tetsurou throws up in front of them, his wings blooming and half spread defensively.

“Definitely not a spirit,” Kei comments from behind him. Tetsurou grunts in agreement, shattering the barrier before carefully stepping around the glass. The door creaks closed behind them and, when Kei gives it an exasperated look, he can’t help but snicker.

“At least it doesn’t feel like there’s a curse,” Tetsurou offers around a grin. The house is dusty, and there’s a chill in the air, but the sensation of worms in his back is thankfully absent. Kei hums in agreement before entering the living room, a thread of his magic just under his skin. He follows but continues on, heading for the kitchen.

Almost immediately, he’s drawn to the knife lying on the counter and he sends out a tentative pulse of magic. It echos back at him, tasting of bitter fear and lingering anger.

“I’m pretty sure it’s a ghost,” he shouts, ruffling his feathers. The knife vibrates in place and there’s a crash from the living room.

He bolts.

Kei is standing in the middle of the living room, dust stirred up, and a TV hovering in midair. Tetsurou can’t see his face, but Kei’s dark wings are raised and arched threateningly, accenting his tense, ready-to-spring posture.

And the TV is heading straight for him.

“I’ve got it!” Tetsurou’s hand shoots out in an abrupt gesture and a ward shoots up from the ground, a makeshift barrier the TV shatters against. “Its focus is in the kitchen, I need you to cleanse it before I can do anything!”

Kei barely hesitates, sliding past him and into the kitchen. A wooden table yanks itself off the floor and follows after him and Tetsurou groans, retreating and slamming a ward down in the doorway. The table splinters, practically exploding against the ward.

“Wow, you’re pretty angry,” Tetsurou snarks, expanding the ward until the entire kitchen is enclosed inside it. Ghosts in general aren’t usually hostile- they are the shadows of a soul, imprinting on an item or place as the soul dies. This one must have been downright infuriated as it died.

“Could you stop chatting with the ghost and come help me?” Kei interrupts from where he is by the counter.

“Coming,” he calls, double checking the wards before leaving them. He snickers as he approaches, one eye on the still vibrating knife. Kei is staring venomously at it, his wings practically bristling behind him. “Having trouble?”

“I don’t trust it to stay still.”

Grinning, Tetsurou pats him on the back, careful to avoid the wings. He brushes a couple of them by accident though- fleeting and soft against the back of his hand. “I’ve got your back, don’t worry.”

Kei glances at him before dismissing him, hovering a hand above the knife and closing his eyes. Red magic sparks against the knife and between his fingers and the knife seems to blur, intensely vibrating. The sparks burst into flames, swirling into a column of makeshift fire and engulfing it.

The cabinets around them rattle harshly in their hinges, the ghost’s influence reaching into the ward, and Tetsurou frowns. He grasps his wards again and strengthens it, staying close to Kei with one eye on him and the other on their surroundings.

The entire house shakes, a final protest from the ghost, before everything falls silent and still.

Kei clenches and unclenches his hand, face blank as his wings disperses slowly. On the counter, the knife lays still and empty. “I’m done.”

Tetsurou steps closer, a soft light gathering in his hand and he taps the knife. A trace of the emotions the ghost had felt rushes through him and he carefully breathes through it. The knife shines faintly before the light bursts out, engulfing the entire house. The blessing turns the air lighter, no longer heavy and clogged, before it fades away.

He then turns to the ward still barricading the doorway and takes it down. Almost immediately, the splintered wood spills into the kitchen and throws up even more dust.

Tetsurou moans unhappily, slumping against the counter. “Yay….cleanup.”

* * *

As if it was a routine, Tetsurou wiggles his way into Kei’s apartment yet again on their next day off.

He’s sitting on the couch, flipping through the barely used TV, as Kei reads a book and ignores him. “Don’t you have any movies or shows you want to watch?”

“No.” Kei doesn't even look up from his book. Tetsurou huffs, flopping down onto the couch and rests his head on the arm rest. He stares at Kei.

Kei hardly pays him any attention, eyes intently soaking up the lines in the book and carefully turning the page every so often. His legs are crossed in front of him, he’s relaxed into the sofa chair and his face is soft- not tense and carefully blank like when they are when out on an assignment.

The TV eventually fades into the background, drowned out by the wash of static that is Kei’s presence and he takes a deep breath, exhaling as he relaxes into the rather comfortable couch.

Working with Kei is great but, Tetsurou thinks, he might just like relaxing with Kei more.

His eyes drift close, listening to the static and Kei reading his book- listening to the nearly silent huffs of amusement, the paper turning and the small shifts of clothing- and he thinks, this is definitely how he’d like to spend his free days.

Two pagers beep, sharp and rapid.

Tetsurou jolts off of the couch, startled, as Kei checks his pager. Tetsurou quickly pulls himself off the ground, pager in hand and reads the message. He can’t help the thrill that rushes through him, his heart loud in his ears.

‘ _US10-STRIKE_ ’

This will be the first time he works with Kei in a combat situation and Tetsurou is very eager to discover how they would do.

“Let’s go!” he excitedly prompts, fixing the cushions he had pulled down with him and jumping to his feet. Kei puts his book to the side and they both head out to Sentry.

Tetsurou can’t help the little bounce in his steps.


	5. Echos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the wait

The moment the two of them step out of the elevator, Oikawa is already waiting. 

He’s standing by the hallway entrance of the rec room, feet tapping, and he hurriedly beckons at them once he sees them. “You two respond rather fast for a newbie team,” he comments as he leads them down the hallway, heading towards the Portal Room. 

Tetsurou huffs a laugh. “Was that a compliment hidden in there.” 

Kei nearly rolls his eyes at them but thankfully Oikawa doesn’t push it any further, though he does pull a face at them. The moment Kei steps into the white room, his heart skips a beat. The portal is already active, a veil of shimmering green filling the doorframe. Oikawa stops in front of it, turning around and assesses the two of them.

“I already have a team on the scene and I’m sending you two to support them. Officially, you two aren’t cleared to take any strikes yet.” Oikawa smirks. “So,  _ technically _ , I’m sending you as a Retrieval Team…”

“Unofficially, you’re giving us experience.” Kei stares at him. “Like a new Strike Team.” 

“Bingo!” Oikawa claps his hands and gives them a expectant look. “Now, hop to it.” 

Kei feels awkward under Oikawa’s gaze but he closes his eyes and reaches for his magic nonetheless. It reminds him of being at the Academy again, just learning how to connect with the magic he had been given. He stirs up his magic, almost unconsciously compared to those days when he had to fully concentrate, and lets it flow. It settles just under his skin, easily within his reach, and into the, now familiar, weight of his wings. 

Beside him, Tetsurou is doing the same, wings unfurling from his back and the heat of his magic radiating from him. It’s not a physical heat, but it makes Kei feel warm nonetheless. 

“Ready?” Oikawa asks, his tone almost unnoticeably soft. Kei breathes, his heart racing. 

He nods, seeing Tetsurou do the same from beside him. 

Oikawa steps to the side, no longer barricading their way to the portal. 

* * *

Kei feels the blistering wind before he even fully steps out of the portal; it lashes at his face and tugs at his clothes and feathers. He ducks to the side the moment he’s out, making room for Tetsurou, and immediately takes in their surroundings.

The small family park is relatively unscathed; the playground is undamaged but many small slashes decorated the ground. There are screaming children and adults still in the area, scattered and running, and Daichi is doing his best to gather them safely- multiple wards are already up, humming and alive. 

Hajime is not far behind him, his magic loud and crackling as he defends the humans. A blur darts by them, abruptly changing direction to avoid a burst of his magic. Two other blurs streak by, contained by one of the wards. 

One of the creatures pauses, just barely a second, but Kei gets a good enough look at it. It’s a Kamaitachi- a sickle weasel that travels in packs of three. It’s long, lanky body is decorated with white pin-like fur, curved claws and a sharp sickle tail. 

“Oh good, you’re finally here,” Hajime shouts, ducking under one of the blurs aiming for his head. “Daichi’s got the wards and we’ll do damage control, you two take care of the Kamaitachi! Tetsurou- don’t mess up!” 

“I’m not that bad!” Tetsurou shouts back. He’s entirely focused on the Kamitachi though, eyes tracking the blurs around the area before he glances at Kei. “Any plans?” 

“...They’re way too fast for us to deal with as is, especially all at once,” Kei starts falteringly, picking out any potential advantages they might have in the area. With Hajime and Daichi fielding most of the immediate tasks and protection, they have a bit of time to talk and make plans- after all, jumping straight into it, with someone you didn’t know how to work with, is a horrible idea. 

He hasn’t ever had to do this before. 

“We need to separate them,” he decides. With Hajime’s help, they could all potentially take them on one-on-one, but that would do him and Tetsurou no good in terms of becoming a functional Strike Team. 

Tetsurou grins. “I can handle that.” 

Kei nods, eyes glued onto the three Kamaitachi. “I’ll cover you.” 

“Alright!” Tetsurou flicks his fingers and a ward explodes from the ground, right in front of one of the weasels. It screeches to a halt, flashing it’s sickle tail and hissing before leaping away just as the ward closes around where it had been. 

Kei backs up a bit, covering Tetsurou’s back, and turns on his heel to keep one of the weasels in his sight. He swirls his finger in its direction, directing his magic along with the motion. A burst of magic twists up in front of the weasel and it turns to avoid it, running straight into a ward.

Tetsurou slams the ward closed and the weasel inside screams, driving its tail straight into the shifting wall of magic. It bounces off with a shower of sparks but Tetsurou still flinches slightly at the feeling. 

With one member of their pack trapped, the other two immediately turn their attention to Tetsurou. Reflecting their fury, the lashing wind howls and whips at them. The slide crashes to the ground, cut up and practically maimed. Hajime prevents one of them from doing the same to the monkey bars, cutting it off with a crackle of his magic.

Kei can feel when Daichi takes the opportunity to shrink the wards, getting the very last of the humans out of range and making their available space smaller. 

Turning to put his back to Tetsurou, he repeats the motion, swirling his finger between the two blurs heading towards them. The burst splits the two and one of them darts away. The other one, however, bounds over it and heads straight at him. 

Kei barely dodges it, gritting his teeth as he feels the sting of a cut just after it passes him. He can sense Tetsurou shifting and raising a barrier, cutting the two Kamaitachi from going too far. The barrier feels alive. 

_ It’s too weak _ , is Kei’s first thought. It’s followed by  _ oh, crap _ .

A sickle tail pierces the barrier, cracking it. The cracks spread across the entire barrier before it all shatters. He hears the sharp inhale and he hurriedly yanks Tetsurou out of the way of a whirlwind of claws and sickles. 

“Barriers aren’t wards!” he nearly screeches at Tetsurou. He sees Hajime just beyond the outer wards, ready to jump in if needed. “You don’t keep a hold of them after you raise them!” 

“Forgot about that,” Tetsurou gasps out. “I’ll have to remember that in the future.” 

“With the recoil you must to be feeling right now? You better!” Kei snaps, flaring his wings to protect their backs and deterring one of the weasels from lunging at them with a surge of magic. “I thought you had more sense to  _ not _ use something you’ve only started learning about! What did you expect? That barrier didn’t even hold up to a single attack!” 

“That has to be the most words I’ve ever heard from him before,” Hajime comments to his partner in the distance. Daichi laughs. Kei is more than ready to throttle Tetsurou. 

“Sorry, sorry, it was stupid of me,” Tetsurou agrees, just catching his breath. He straightens up, rubbing his chest and Kei grunts, turning away. 

He catches sight of one of the weasels and channels his irritation, slicing his hand through the air and cutting it off with a slash of magic. It clips the weasel, who howls and rebounds off of a seesaw right back at him. 

Kei and Tetsurou duck to the sides and the weasel leaves a gash in the ground between them. It chatters as it whirls around and lunges again. 

The other one makes to join it, but Kei quickly put a stop to that with a barrier, forcing it to turn away. Kei raises more barriers, small ones that force the weasel to go where he wants. Its learned though, from its captured packmate, and just manages to slip out of Tetsurou’s ward. 

Tetsurou is half occupied with avoiding the other weasel, eyes focused on the blur darting around him- even more so when they both direct their attacks at him. He has no issue slipping around their attacks but he isn’t able to trap one of them without the other disrupting him. 

The wind works against them, stirred up by the two Kamaitachi, but Kei thinks that maybe they could use it. 

He gains the weasels’ attention with bursts of magic, careful to not hit Tetsurou. One lunges at him, straight on and aiming for his face. The other whirls behind him and lunges, not far behind its packmate. 

Kei stands his ground. He glances towards his partner, towards- he jolts. 

Tetsurou throws him a disbelieving look but Kei doesn’t have any time to change his plan. The two Kamaitachi are close and he lifts his arm, tracing a circle above him. Pale blue magic erupts from the ground, flickering like fire, and forms a barrier around him and the weasels. He’s trapped from all sides with the creatures. 

It doesn’t prevent anything from going up though. 

Kei spreads his wings and leaps. 

The wind, that has previously pushed and pulled against them, catches Kei’s wings and lifts him up.

His dusky wings spreads out to their full wingspan, a soft shine within each feather caused by the sunlight, and the wind flows through his feathers like a warm hand through his hair. He  _ soars _ . It’s almost like returning home, and the sky welcomes him back with warm arms. 

Behind him, the Kamaitachi also catch a ride on the gale, chasing. 

They’re right behind him when they crash into a ward that materializes right in front of them. As they fall, it rapidly closes around them and cages them.

Kei touches down near Tetsurou, softly ruffling his wings and shaking them out. He’s just folding them against his back when Tetsurou quickly reinforces the wards- he shrinks them and checks that they absolutely can’t escape- before spinning around to stare at Kei. 

Tetsurou frowns. “That was reckless! I might not have followed up in time, Kei.”

“I thought you said you were good with wards?” Kei blandly states. “That wasn’t a hard task for you to do.” 

“Well, no!” Tetsurou looks like he’s ready to start pulling at his hair. “But what if I hadn’t caught on in time? At that range you couldn’t have escaped, and you’re already injured.”

Kei looks at his arm. There’s a cut straight down his arm, cutting clean through his sleeve and into skin, staining his clothes with blood. He brushes it off with a shrug. “Hajime is also injured.” 

“Doesn’t matter, you’re my partner now, he has Daichi to look after him.” Tetsurou scrubs at his face before beckoning to him. “Come here, I’ll take care it. Daichi can finish up.” 

Kei slowly steps closer and Tetsurou gently grabs his arm. He rolls up the sleeve as carefully as he can but Kei still hisses, his arm jerking even as he tries to told still. 

“Sorry,” Tetsurou murmurs as he uncovers the entire length of the cut. He re-positions his hands, holding Kei’s wrist in one and holding his arm, just above the cut, with his other. Tetsurou presses his thumb into the top of the cut and drags it down. 

Kei grits his teeth, his free hand flying up to grab Tetsurou’s shoulder and squeezing. Tetsurou’s hand is warm, pulsing with magic- magic that wraps around his arm and sinks down as a comfortable heat, right down to the bone. It doesn’t stop at his arm though, flowing through his shoulder right down to his toes and, despite the stinging, it’s like he has drank a cup of sunshine. 

Trying to not focus on the feeling, Kei watches over Tetsurou’s shoulder as Daichi unravels most of the wards. Only the wards that prevent human interaction stay up, the rest undoing under Daichi’s fingers. 

Hajime is walking around the border of that ward, checking on the unconscious families before turning in their direction. 

The stinging fades and Tetsurou’s magic seeps away. Kei looks down to see the very last of the cut heal under Tetsurou’s thumb, leaving behind no scars and no traces of blood. Tetsurou softly runs his thumb back up his arm, double checking his work, before letting go. 

“....Thanks.” Kei twists his arm, stretching the newly healed skin. He feels no pain. 

Tetsurou smiles at him, a soft quirk of his lips. “No problem.” 

Kei looks away, avoiding eye contact, and watches as Hajime pats Tetsurou on the back. “Not bad for your first strike,” he comments before meeting Kei’s gaze with an approving nod. “Good thinking.” 

“Hey, I could have come up with that plan,” Tetsurou protests, but his smile grows into a grin and his eyes gleam teasingly.

Daichi walks up to them, slapping a hand down on Hajime’s side as he snarks, “You practically panicked when Kei did something reckless.” 

Hajime curses, stepping away but Daichi’s firm hand on his shoulder prevents him from getting too far. With a steady flow of his magic, Daichi heals his cuts and pulls away, leaving flawless skin under damaged clothes. 

Tetsurou huffs, scowling at Daichi. “Did not.” 

Daichi returns his scowl, but swallows his reply when Hajime rolls his eyes at him. Instead, he pulls out his pager and sends a message to Sentry’s Response Centre- to give the notice of a complete strike. “You two can wait with us. I mean, you’re on Retrieval but….”

“Not like we have anything to retrieve.” Kei eyes the unconscious humans, carefully placed against trees or the picnic tables scattered about the area. He turns to the Kamaitachi in the makeshift cages, who are barking angrily at them and flashing their sickle tails and teeth. “Are we relocating them, or…?”

Daichi crouches by one of the cages, taking a closer look at one of the Kamaitachi. It growls at him, fur raising and giving it the appearance of a porcupine, and swings its tail at the ward separating them. Daichi doesn’t flinch at the threat, the ward not even faltering under the attack- though Tetsurou grimaces at the feeling. “We’ll relocate them. Takeda can take care of them and they’ll probably be good practice for the trainees.” 

“Ha!” Hajime barks out a laugh, leering at the hissing weasels. “That’s brutal. Those newbies wouldn’t be able to handle these guys.” 

“Well…” A subtle smirk slides onto Daichi’s face. “I’ve heard they got a few genius trainees this time around. But, aside from that, good work you two.” He turns to Kei, pride strong in his gaze. “You haven’t lost your touch.”

There’s a nostalgic tone in his voice as he remarks, “You’re certainly not as reckless as before.” 

“Not as reckless as before?” Tetsurou echos, frowns at Kei. “That was pretty reckless.”

“Let’s not bring that up,” Kei curtly says, tone sharp. Daichi dips his head apologetically, dropping the subject. The Kamaitachi have stopped hissing, but when Daichi pokes at the ward containing them they still flash their teeth. 

Daichi and Hajime’s pagers beep and Hajime checks his before informing, “Cleanup should be here in a bit.” 

“I can take over these wards if you want,” Daichi offers, turning to Tetsurou. “Y’know, if you’re getting tired.”

Tetsurou sniffs, acting offended. “You’re already holding the outer wards. I can at the very least hold these little critters.” 

“Really? I’m surprised.”

The two start sniping at each other, from their actions in combat to their teeth, and Kei shares an exasperated look with Hajime. 

* * *

Kei’s memories of the strike are much more vivid outside of combat.

They’re no longer fogged by adrenaline and the mixed sensations of all the magic being thrown around. He recalls everything he did, everything he felt, every motion of Tetsurou and every surge of magic. It all rubs him the wrong way, rubs against him like the screeching of nails on chalkboard. 

Working with Tetsurou isn’t hard; working as part of a Strike Team isn’t hard. It had practically been muscle memory. 

It hadn’t been until after Kei had silently communicated his intentions that he remembered- this is  _ Tetsurou _ . They haven't worked together before; they haven’t fought and matched step for step with each other, haven’t spent hours and hours of grueling practice and stiff talks- hadn’t even really begun becoming more than just teammates. 

At least, Kei hadn’t been.

To his surprise, and relief, Tetsurou had quickly caught on and followed up, pulling off his plan almost perfectly. And having him at his back, quick to follow and supportive, is  _ exhilarating _ . 

Kei had not expected that. He isn’t sure what to do about it. He did, however, know that he could not handle seeing Tetsurou so soon after. 

Which is why he’s on the elevator to Sentry’s third floor instead of the fifth or in his apartment. Tetsurou has taken to barging into his home during their free days and he definitely seemed like the kind of person to want to come and chat excitedly about their first strike. 

Sentry’s third floor is the core of their Response Centre- the ones that paged teams and passes on messages between them. Majority of the workers are humans, ones that had once been Angels or Demons and remember. Sometimes people wanted to return to the kind of work they had been doing, even if it’s in a different way than before. 

Others, like his friend Kunimi Akira, decided that it would be much easier to get a job at Sentry. The only requirement is knowing the existence of Angels and Demons after all. 

Kei walks down the office cubicles and heads for the one at the back of the room. 

Kunimi’s black hair is messed up as he pulls the headset he is wearing off, looking up with mild surprise as he approaches. “Kei?” 

“Hey,” he says, suddenly unsure. Kunimi regards him with a piercing stare for a moment before pulling out a stool from under his desk, motioning for him to sit. As Kei sits, he turns back to his computer and starts typing. 

“You haven’t visited recently,” Kunimi mildly says, eyes focused on his screen. His headset stays around his neck. 

Kei recalls the absolute thrill of stepping through the portal and out for a strike; recalls the searing heat of Tetsurou at his back, the feeling of something clicking into place for a brief moment and the intoxicating rush he hadn’t realized he had sorely missed. 

“I got placed on a Strike Team.” 

Kunimi pauses, swinging around to stare at him. He flicks his eyes away, twisting his fingers in his lap. He forces his next few words out. “I don’t know how I feel about it.” 

“I think you do, Kei,” Kunimi quietly challenges and, despite Kei’s scowl burning into him, he continues, “I think you like it- and you think it feels like a betrayal.” 

Kei is silent. 

It’s enough of a confirmation for Kunimi and he types a couple of specialized commands into his computer. Four screens showing live-camera footage appears on the monitor- one of the rec room, the lobby downstairs, just outside of Sentry, and Oikawa’ office. 

A small laugh bubbles out of Kei’s mouth and he hurriedly covers his mouth. Kunimi’s eyes are gleaming with amusement as he full screens the footage of Oikawa’s office.

Oikawa is sprawled across the ground, covered in paper and his chair is toppled over. Some of the loose papers are still drifting down to the ground. Kei has a hard time comparing this image of Oikawa to every other time he’s seen him- always composed and pristine. 

“This happens quite often,” Kunimi tells him, voice quivering with a suppressed laugh. They watch as Oikawa slowly picks himself up, muttering to himself. There’s no sound but Kei wouldn’t be at all surprised if he was whining or complaining about the fall and all the papers. 

“Should we be watching this?” he asks. Kunimi shrugs, entirely unconcerned, and he huffs a laugh. He feels lighter than he has felt in the past few weeks and it helps him muster up the power to speak. 

“Tetsurou’s my- the Angel I’m paired up with,” he tells Kunimi. “He, well. We had our first unofficial strike yesterday. And, I managed to work with him. Beyond, just working together- for a moment, it felt like…” He breathes and doesn’t continue. 

“A partnership,” Kunimi finishes for him, voice impossibly gentle. Kei still flinches, but he nods. 

“And- it makes me uneasy,” Kei admits, staring at the eyesore that was the carpet. “It’s wrong..? He’s not...he’s not my partner but it feels like it.” 

Kunimi’s silent before he turns back to the computer, typing slowly. The live feeds disappear and he pulls up a profile. It’s Kei’s file; he recognizes the picture from the day he had graduated from the Academy. And right next to his name on the file is  _ ‘Partner: Tetsurou’ _ . 

And, despite knowing it, it’s still a shock. 

It’s jarring, even though he’s practically been with Tetsurou 24/7 for the past month. He exhales, closes his eyes and whispers, “I know.” 

Kunimi is a silent comfort beside him and he sits there, watching as Kunimi lazily types and switches around browsers. Eventually, Kunimi slips his headset back on, murmuring to whoever is talking to him. Kei can’t make any sense of the screens that pop up, or what any of the code means, but it takes his mind off everything else when he tries. 

The tentative silent between the two of them is broken when Kei’s pager beeps. It’s an alert for a Sweep and he stands, sliding the stool back under the desk. 

“Bring caramels next time,” Kunimi mutters, eyes glued to the screen. 

Kei snorts. “Why would I do that.” 

He makes a mental reminder of it for next time. 

* * *

The wail of sirens and flashing red-blue lights greet them at the scene.

Kei watches as paramedics load a patient into the ambulance, noting rather thankfully that their injuries are passable enough without needing them to step in.

The neighbourhood is filled with people trying to get a look, peeking out of their windows and hovering by the area. The police have them controlled though, and that makes their job just that much easier. A couple of unconscious people are sprawled by the side, looking as if they had been fighting each other- or had been in the process of it before they were stopped. 

Tetsurou subtly gestures at the Strike Team, who have merged themselves in with the crowd, and the team leaves now that they are on the scene. 

The weapons that had been used are still laying around- a metal bat and a small kitchen knife. The bat radiates magic and Kei steps forward to deal with that before any of the humans can touch it. 

One of the officers notices and comes to intercept him. 

Kei walks as if he’s wearing a suit instead of his casual clothes, pulling his hand out of his pocket and moving as if he’s presenting a badge. His hand is empty but his fingers spark with magic.

“He’s with me,” he says curtly, jerking his head to Tetsurou, who has plastered on a stern and professional posture and face. The officer lets them pass without any issues and they step into the crime scene. 

Tetsurou briefly touches his elbow and Kei nearly jerks away. “I’ll check on the humans.” 

Kei watches as he leaves, the soft touch burning like a brand. With a heavy exhale, he goes and crouches by the weapons, pretending to be scrutinizing them. Instead, he’s focusing on his magic and his eyes are half closed, concentrating more on  _ feeling  _ than seeing. 

The bat is radiating magic, and that magic is a minor curse. Only this close can he feel it, his skin crawling and feeling as if something was squirming through his back. He shudders and pulls at his magic aggressively, sharp and lashing. It whips at the strands of the curse, wrapped around the bat like a spider’s web, and slices clean through. 

The bat flares with a white light as the curse shatters, something that Kei only registers faintly through his concentration. 

As he stands, he’s quick to check if it had caught anyone’s attention. He moves to the side after, watching as the police manage the situation. The paramedics are checking over all the injured people, wheeling them away one by one. Tetsurou’s with them, speaking with one of them before he comes and joins him. 

“They’re thinking it was a mobbing of some kind, a street fight gone wrong, or they were just all drunk out of their minds,” Tetsurou informs him in a murmur.  “None of the injuries are lethal. I don’t think a creature did this.” 

Kei nods, confirming his thoughts. “It was a curse, on the metal bat.” 

“You broke it?” 

“What do you think?” Kei hisses without thinking. Leaving something cursed is a mistake you never made, one of the very first lessons they all learn. 

Tetsurou is quick to apologize, though he does give him a concerned look. “Sorry, that was a stupid question.”

Kei takes a deep breath before he shakes his head, silently waving the issue away. He focuses on the area and humans again, keeping an eye out for any potential problems.

The paramedics rush by them, wheeling a man bleeding from his mouth. They both feel how his soul pulses erratically as they pass by, wavering. 

Tetsurou grimaces, a soft sigh leaving him. “This is why I don’t like Sweeps….”

“Me neither,” Kei murmurs. After a split second of hesitation, he shifts closer to Tetsurou in an attempt to comfort him. 

He can’t bring himself to break that foot of distance between them though.


	6. Grinding Gears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm slowly digging myself out of the hole I put myself in, thank you for sticking around guys o/

Kei steps around a moss covered tombstone, a ball of magic in hand to light his way around in the dark.

It’s a moonless night and, despite the lack of light, it would have been pleasantly cool if it hadn’t been for the unnatural frost layered over the ground. It chills the area and he’s surprised his breath doesn’t show in the frigid air.

The cemetery is mostly quiet though he can hear Tetsurou shuffling around by the graves on the lower level. Kei glances down the hill from where he’s standing to see Tetsurou’s ball of light and softly shining wings revealing where his location.

Many tombstones are tainted green with moss and discoloured with rainwater, showing their age. Trees border the cemetery, almost enclosing them off from any potential witnesses. The light in his hand washes the nearby tombstones with a pale glow, reflecting off some polished stones and items that had been left in front of the graves.

Something rustles.

Kei whips around, wings barely visible in the dark and spread out for a possible quick escape. The light in his hand darts forth like a firefly, revealing broken branches and leaves scattered over some tombstones.

He reaches out with his senses, searching for anything- any magic, any movement, any sounds- and something flickers, like a candle that had been blown out. It’s absurdly silent, the air is still, and it’s only when Tetsurou’s wings flare brighter than a full moon that he notices it.

There’s a stretched out, smudged, human silhouette made of shadows towering over Tetsurou.

One of its hands is recoiling from Tetsurou’s wings- as if they burned white hot. Despite the physical reaction to pain, it makes no sound.

Tetsurou warily uncurls his wings from where he had instinctively went to protect himself, arching them behind him in a way that would allow him to defend himself again if needed.

The ghost-like creature is a spirit, an Onryo- a spirit that holds grudges and seeks vengeance.

Kei extinguishes the light in his hand. Tetsurou’s wings were providing more than enough lighting and carefully makes his way down. The spirit, double their size, sluggishly turns to stare at him. Its eyes are two blazing holes in the haze of black.

For a moment, he thinks they might be able to eliminate the spirit peacefully but, as he steps closer, its eyes digs deep into him and burns brighter.

As if it had foregone all its previous subtlety, the wind picks up and howls. Kei and Tetsurou both plant their feet and fold in their wings before they could get blown away, arms raised to protect their faces from the stinging gale.

It lashes out with a hand, sharpened fingers aimed at Kei.

Tetsurou shouts a warning and it’s only because of the glow of his wings that Kei is able to pick out the difference between the spirit and the harmless shadows around them. Kei darts to the side, lashing one hand at the spirit as he moves.

A blade of magic slices into the black layer around the spirit, revealing tattered clothing and spiderweb scarred skin under it. They disappear under another flood of black and the spirit screeches.

It’s not loud, sounding very much like a shrill whistle, but it’s loud in pressure- a hand on their heads and forcing them down. Neither of them buckle under it, moving as easily as ever.

Tetsurou defends against its next lash at Kei, motioning as if he were snatching something from the spirit, despite their distance, and the black covering its hand bubbles. As the spirit flinches back, the bubbles burst, sending shards of its black cloak flying. It reveals the skin and clothing underneath that area, stark against the black.

A shard of it embeds itself next to Kei’s foot before dissipating into the air.

He spares it a single glance, just long enough to make sure it had entirely disappeared, before he moves. He’s tensing to jump, wings spreading when Tetsurou repeats his hand gesture, forcing him to stop before he collides into the burst of magic Tetsurou had just released.

The spirit’s chest bubbles and bursts, sending more shards of its black armor flying and Kei immediately lunges for the exposed area.

He weaves a thread of magic through his fingers and solidifies it, grasping the charcoal coloured rod as he approaches and jams it in as deep as he can. As soon as his momentum fades, he lets go and jumps away- now out of the range of a flailing hand.

The rod bursts, shattering the black armor into numerous shards that rain down into the cemetery. Without it the spirit takes on its original appearance- a young man with singed hair and angry red electrocution scars that show through the ragged clothing he had once worn.

There is rage sharpening his face as he wordlessly shouts, mouth moving and the wind howling louder than before. His eyes no blaze like miniature suns, but there’s still an all too real burn within them as he spreads his arms.

The black shards that had once been his cloak rise into the air, spinning until all their sharpest points are directed at Kei.

“Holy- Kei get over here-” Tetsurou nearly curses, his wings shining brighter as he rushes over.

Kei hesitates.

Why would he retreat? He could take out the spirit the moment it let those shards go. They were its only defense and he’s confident in his ability to dodge majority of them. Any he couldn’t- _Tetsurou_.

Any he couldn’t dodge would cut him at best and impale him at worst. He no longer had the type of defense he was so used to working with at his back.

“ _Kei_!”

He ducks down and into Tetsurou’s protective hold, feeling as if something had been left behind- torn out of him.

Tetsurou grabs him by the shoulders, hunching them down as his pale wings curl over the both of them. They light up the small space with their soft light. Kei can feel both their breaths, steady- if not a bit rushed- and he presses his own wings as flat as possible against his back. He can feel feathers brushing his own, shielding his back.

He avoids eye contact, staring at the wall of feathers surrounding them- they’re almost ghost-like, wispy and pale. As he watches, the edges of all the feathers bleed silver- as if they had been dipped in moonlight.

Through Tetsurou’s wings, he can see the approaching shards as spots of faint shadows. They clink off of his wings without any damage at first but eventually he grunts and his grip on Kei’s shoulders tighten.

Kei futilely tracks the shards, sensing for the spirit. Through the heat and sunlight veil around him, he can just barely sense the smear of ink and turbulence. The moment there’s a short pause in the barrage, Kei pushes at the shoulder in front of him insistently.

Without a word, Tetsurou flares his wings open.

Threads of magic raise from the ground and twines around Kei, shimmering gold and alive like snakes. In a mimicry of the spirit’s own attack, Kei sweeps his arm towards it as he turns and they shoot off.

Like arrows, they strike dead on and pierce through the spirit- and within the spirit, they burn.

The wind dies down to a soft breeze as the spirit is swallowed up in a golden fire, slowly scattering like ashes in the wind.

Tetsurou’s oddly quiet and Kei glances over to see him rubbing his shoulder with a grimace. “Are you okay?”

“Hm?” Tetsurou tears his eyes away from where the spirit had once been standing, flicking his eyes over to him and away. “Oh, yeah, don’t worry that was nothing. Anyways….”

A warmth radiates from him, a welcome contrast to the chill in the air. Tetsurou’s practically beside Kei as he calls up a blessing, washing them both in the pale light of his magic.

This close, he can hear Tetsurou’s soft inhale and exhale, focused as he cups his hands in front of him. The spark of magic ignites and Kei is helplessly raptured as it swells within Tetsurou’s fingers, watching as they gently pull away. It swells, releasing the blessing- releasing magic that’s filled with Tetsurou’s own feelings and spirit.

And Kei remembers every single time he has been within this very same blessing, the warmth and lightness and peace, but this time- it doesn’t have the same effect.

It feels flatter, lukewarm, and not at all settling.

The magic fades from the air and the chill returns, only, after the weak blessing, it feels freezing. Tetsurou closes his eyes, wings fading and dropping them into the dark.

“Ah...sorry.”

“....I do recall you saying your blessings were shit,” Kei murmurs as he summons a ball of light in his hand. Tetsurou laughs weakly. “If a blessing failed then the spirit’s tied to something here. Let’s find it.”

“Yeah, okay.”

They search the cemetery again, scanning for the thing that had tied the spirit to this area. With all the magic that had been used and thrown around though, it’s harder to sense anything let alone a spirit’s focus- it’s like trying to see through thick fog.

To make things better, there usually wasn’t any physical evidence of a spirit or ghost’s focus- or any origin of unfriendly magic really, not until someone touches it.

With their ability to sense the focus hindered, they were playing a hard game of find the needle in the haystack and hoping they don’t get poked by it.

“I think I got it,” Tetsurou calls from the row of tombstones on the top. When Kei joins him, he’s staring at a white tombstone, clean and newly carved, between the other worn down stones around it.

Neither of them touch it but when Kei crouches down for a closer look, his hair stands on edge and his skin crawls.

He traces a circle around the grave, stepping lightly around it, and the line of red magic sparks the moment it’s closed. Kei pours in his magic, with a force not unlike a waterfall, and steps back.

It erupts like a geyser, engulfing the tombstone in a pillar that reaches the top of the surrounding treeline. Slowly, it dies down before flickering away. The tombstone hasn’t changed in terms of appearances, but Kei feels like it does look renewed compared to before.

The chill is still in the air, but it’s less insistent, only evident when the wind blows.

“I guess we can request a follow up for this,” Tetsurou says, running his fingers through his hair for the fifth time tonight. Kei pretends not to notice.

“Yeah.”

* * *

Later that day, Kei finds himself in the rec room just as the sun rises, filling out the paperwork for their investigation assignment.

Usually, he would be doing this in his own room, alone and without the distractions in the rec room- with people coming in and out and trying to talk to him. However, Tetsurou had somehow convinced him to fill out the follow-up request together. In the rec room.

“Too bad we didn’t catch the sunrise on our way back,” Tetsurou muses, gazing out the window by their table. Kei taps a pen on the paper with a noncommittal hum. “Have you seen the sunset or sunrise from the air before?”

Kei quirks a brow at him, barely glancing up from where he was summarizing their actions. Tetsurou continues, turning from the window to watch him. “The view is really nice, not something you can do when you’re human, y’know. Though it can be sort of awkward…”

Kei hums, double checking the form.

“Hey, Kei...uh.” Tetsurou scratches his cheek before looking away. “So...what do you feel about pets?”

Kei looks up at that, brow furrowed. “...we can’t have pets.”

“I know that! I mean, just. In general. Did you have a pet before?” Tetsurou scrutinizes him. “You seem like you’d be a cat person.”

“I wouldn’t remember.” Kei looks back down at the form, signing it off. He then hands it over to Tetsurou before starting on his own report. If he was going to be here, he might as well get that finished and hand it in.

“Okay, but would you get a cat? Or a dog?” Tetsurou pauses for a moment to read over the form, add a few words and signs his own signature at the bottom. “Maybe a reptile? Turtles, snakes, lizards?”

“None.”

“Mice or rats? Rabbits? How about hamsters- they’re cute.”

“No.”

“Do you like parrots? I’m not sure if I can see you with a bird.”

Kei rolls his eyes and doesn’t even bother replying. Tetsurou pouts. “I’ll take that as a no then.”

Tetsurou stops for a moment, resting his chin on his hand as he regards him. Kei glances up, catching his stare, his report quickly forgotten.

_What are you thinking?_ Kei wonders, staring straight into those amber eyes. He’s not sure he wants to know.

“Oh, good! You two are here!”

Oikawa ambles up to them, suit perfectly arranged and his hair looking as good as usual.

Kei swallows a snicker, his shoulders hitching as he recalls the image of Oikawa sprawled on the floor and the literal opposite of the image he’s presenting now.

“I’ve got good news.” Oikawa shoots Kei a confused look but continues without a hitch, “You both have been cleared as an official Strike Team as of a few minutes ago. You’ll have to pass your assessments later this year to keep that, but that should be no issue for you two.”

Any humor Kei had felt evaporates instantly, replaced with a cold finality

“That’s pretty fast, I expected it to take years.” Tetsurou marvels. “Did you sell your soul to someone?”

“Ha, ha, like I’d sell my soul for you.” Oikawa harrumphs, “Do you know how much paperwork I went through for this?!”

Tetsurou sticks his tongue out at him. “Don’t be a baby, you’re the one who went through with this.”

“Hmph!” Oikawa gives Tetsurou one last venomous glare before moving on. “Well, I’m slating you two as the first responders later this week- are you two ready?”

Tetsurou considers the question before quietly answering, “Yeah, can’t wait…”

Kei looks away. “Mm.”

There’s a heavy moment where Oikawa surveys them, where neither of the two really meet his eyes.

“Alright then...I’ll see you two soon.” He slowly leaves them, joining up with another team and speaking with them.

Kei goes back to his report, pen digging into the paper. He’s not entirely sure he’s writing everything he needs to on it- the letters are blurred out, unfocused.

Tetsurou looks up from where he had been staring at the table, mouth opening- and he stops. Looks at Kei. And swallows his words.

Instead, he leans back into his seat, gazes out the window and rambles.

He talks about the sun and the clouds, about the process of evaporation, the atoms that make up water and the chemical reactions of potassium, about the various types of reactions, the periodic table, the ocean and the fish- anything he could think of.

Kei doesn’t remember finishing his report nor does he hand it in that day.

* * *

It’s beyond obvious to Kei when Oikawa has scheduled them for a strike.

The amount of assignments they had been getting regularly for the past month or so died down, and eventually they got only one assignment, compared to their previous back-to-back assignments.

Once two days had passed without any new alerts, Kei just _knew_ that the next alert they would be getting would be the one for their strike.

It was agony, being on call and anticipating it like a knife to his back.

He rearranges his bookshelf for the first time ever, cleans the entire apartment and had started pacing before he sits down and lays on his bed. He doesn’t get up, watching as the room grows darker and is eventually lit up by the moonlight instead of sunlight.

His pager never once beeps.

Without the regular assignments, Kei no longer has anything to occupy his mind anymore.

Being on call had once made him restless with a sweet, eager anticipation.

Now, he dreads it, feeling as if someone’s holding a blade to his neck- loose and entirely unthreatening, but when the moment strikes, it would dig into his neck and bleed him out.

And Kei doesn’t have much to bleed out without losing it all.

* * *

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

**_‘US10-STRIKE’_ **

* * *

Oikawa isn’t waiting for them this time and Kei heads straight to the Portal Room, heart pounding in his ears.

“I’ve got it- I’ve told you I’m sending U10 on it- Will you just-”

Tetsurou steps into the room, softly closing the door behind him, and joins Kei in watching Oikawa argue with someone through his headset. Oikawa, once he sees the two of them, rolls his eyes and removes the headset with a, “I’m sure, Suga-chan, don’t worry, don’t worry.”

“Right.” Oikawa moves towards the door frame, hand reaching out and opening a portal. “We’ve got an alert for a large creature in a populated neighborhood. Last known status was not hostile, but keep your head up.”

The portal swirls like Kei’s stomach, growing. The green is sickly as it fills the frame, shimmering and reflecting light that hurts his eyes. Oikawa steps away from the portal, an expectant smile plastered onto his face.

Despite his feet being as heavy as lead, Kei steps forward without any hesitation, magic veiling him like a second skin and wings folded tensely, ready to spring open. Tetsurou’s right behind him, a searing spot of heat at his back.

The portal swallows them and Oikawa’s smile falls.

“Good luck you two.”

* * *

The large baboon-like creature is lounging on the roof of a house, hands and mouth tainted red as it blearily watches its surroundings. Its large flapping lips smack together and it shifts to pick at the bush of black hair on its head.

It pays absolutely no attention to the portal that opens up on the street.

The street is thankfully empty this late at night, clear of any witnesses and possible casualties. It, however, doesn’t eliminate the fact that the neighbourhood is filled with houses. The tiniest mistake would bring the entire neighbourhood, and then some, crashing down on their heads.

“A Hihi,” Tetsurou quietly identifies. “How did that get all the way out here?”

Without waiting for a reply, he lays a hand on the wall of the street beside him and raises a ward. It shoots off into the distance, bordering the street and the house the Hihi is on. Once it closes them in, he quickly weaves additional wards onto it- ones for misdirecting attention, fortifying the ward, containing magic and soundproofing.

_That_ gets the Hihi’s attention and it blinks the sleepy fog out of its eyes, pinning them with an intense stare.

Tetsurou cautiously takes his hand off the ward, letting it fade into near invisibility. The Hihi does nothing, blinking at them. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Guide it to-”

The Hihi lets out a shriek- shrill and laugh-like. Part of the roof under it starts to crumble as it shifts its weight and pounces.

“I think we need a new plan!” Tetsurou shouts as they scatter to opposite sides. He takes the opportunity to shift his wards, cutting the house out, and trapping the Hihi with only the length of the street to move.

Now truly cornered, the Hihi whirls on them, a large and heavy mass of anger and aggression. It’s in between Kei and Tetsurou, separating them.

It gives them an advantage.

As it swings its palm at Kei, Tetsurou meets his eyes from down the street.

Kei stands his ground as the hand barrels towards him, undoubtedly able to break bones. Just before it impacts him, a ward springs up between him and the hand, meeting with a thick, echoing pound.

Kei’s hand zips up, silk and electric thrumming at his fingers- and he pulls up short.

His magic dies at his fingers as he pulls it back. Tetsurou’s ward wraps around his body, like a curved shield. It prevents him from taking a shot at the Hihi.

At least, not without shattering the ward first.

Frustrated, Kei runs out from behind the shield. The Hihi is readjusting his balance from the recoil, tracking him with sharp eyes. It lets out a raspy bark, reaching to snatch him up but Kei doesn’t stop, running down the street and it chases after him.

He can see, and feel, Tetsurou raising another ward, right in front of him, and it’s curved again- perfect for redirecting the Hihi’s blunt but hammer-like fingers. Kei’s certain they would hurt much more than hammers though.

He pivots on his heel and spins, right beside the ward, tracing a circle around him with his other foot- resulting in a harsh grinding sound. He then slaps the ward and merges his own sharp-silk with the heat of Tetsurou’s magic before forcibly unraveling it.

He jerks his hand back as if it had been burnt, but the ward unravels, and he takes off down the street again.

The circle he had traced into the ground shines faintly and it flares when the Hihi crosses over it. The Hihi is fast though; fast enough to only be caught by just a few of the spikes that erupt from the circle.

It howl-barks with pain and a raspy rumble leaves its chest.

The few spikes had impaled its hind legs and it stumbles forward and it uses the momentum to lunge for Kei again.

Kei stumbles back, arms and wings flailing to recover his balance as its hand smacks down into the ground just in front of him. It creates a crater and he’s quick to back off the moment he gets his footing.

“Kei, be careful!” Tetsurou ducks under the Hihi’s arm as it scrambles upright, hopping over the large crater. His wings help him over it and he grabs Kei’s shoulder, careful to keep an eye on the Hihi. “Don’t take risks like that!”

“It got a hit on him, didn’t it? I don’t see you doing anything.” Kei shrugs his hand off with a scowl. Tetsurou recoils, turning to face him directly.

“You completely disregarded my help.”

“You didn’t help,” Kei counters, squaring his shoulders and glaring. “You prevented me from doing anything.”

“If that was a problem, I’m sure you could have found a way around it- it was a ward, to protect you.”

“I could have gotten a shot in-”

Tetsurou cuts him off firmly, “You can wait until a better- _safer_ \- opportunity comes up.”

“We would never get anything done before it makes a mess of everything.”

“All that is fi-”

Kei practically tackles Tetsurou. “Move!”

A fist slams into the ground like a wrecking ball, sending bits of concrete flying. Kei rolls off of Tetsurou, staggering upright and shaking out the rocks and dust in his wings.

“And you think I’d ever get a chance to counterattack something like that by waiting?” he asks. “That’s never going to work.”

“It’s not just waiting!” Tetsurou shoots back, jumping to his feet. “It _will_ work. It’s waiting and when the opportunity comes you take it- you’re taking way too much risks right now!”

“And your way won’t do-” The two of them leap to the side again as the Hihi swipes a hand at them. “-anything! Slow and steady isn’t that helpful!”

“And heading straight into a fight will end up with both of us killed!” Tetsurou yells, looking past the creature and staring at Kei. “Would you stop and think?”

“ _Think_?!” Kei barks, sharp as a blade. “I am thinking- are you scared?” Kei can sense the Hihi behind him, feels the wind shifting with its movement, but he still pushes with a sneer, “What, are you afraid of _sinning_?”

Tetsurou balks at him. “What?!”

“Too afraid of getting dirty? Nothing should taint your pure, innocent hands- is that it?”

“Damn it, Kei! I don’t care about that!”

“You’re not even able to _kill_ are you,” Kei snarls, a piece of white hot coal burning in his chest. Tetsurou’s wings are raised threateningly, his face blank and angled stiffly. Kei hears the whistle of something forcing its way through the air.

He jumps back just as the Hihi plants its fist where he had been standing. It hovers over him, red stained teeth exposed and body blocking out the sky.

The burn of his anger and frustration curls in his chest and he grabs onto it, letting it sear through his veins, and slices up at the Hihi with a curt gesture. His magic loses its silky edge, becoming an electrified blade- it’s sharp enough for him to tense up at the feeling as it burns its way out.

The Hihi roars, the gash on its chest spraying vivid red blood.

Kei spins on his heel, retreating as the Hihi jerks back. It gives another screech as a tumor bubbles from its thigh, bursting and scattering the ground with more blood.

Tetsurou jerks his fingers again, a sharp and curt movement. It reflects the anger Kei can sense from him.

Another tumor forms on the Hihi’s arm, only, it doesn’t burst- it multiplies.

It bubbles until its entire arm is swollen and the Hihi is stumbling around, screaming like a raspy child. They all burst simultaneously, showering the area with blood.

Kei turns his face away, feeling the fluid spatter onto his cheek. He turns back to see the Hihi clutching its deflated arm, roaring at Tetsurou. It jerkily stumbles in his direction, teeth bared and very bit intent at fighting back.

With a gesture that reminds Kei heavily of his own attack, Tetsurou slashes through the air with his hand.

The wards flicker into view for a split second, bright enough to sting his eyes.

The Hihi’s screaming growl dies as it falls to the ground. The ground shakes under its weight and there’s a steady pool of red gathering under it. The ground is staining red and Kei feels a fleeting dose of pity for the clean up crew assigned to this.

Kei himself is spattered with blood and Tetsurou…

Tetsurou is staring straight at him.

He’s miraculously free of blood on his body, only a few drops on his clothes, but his pale wings are practically drenched in the red fluid- dripping down the feathers smoothly.

Tetsurou’s tone is hard and low.

“Who says Angels can’t kill?” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, please let me know if you liked it and you can find me [here](http://cawnvictofmurder.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr


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